Take This Job and Shove It
by Iruka Sensei871
Summary: After the coma Tsunade becomes a dictator. Many ninjas flee her wrath and face a future as traitors. OOC chars. Ibiki/OC, Gai/OC, Kakashi/his own ego, Sasuke/harem. Sasuke centric. Shika/Saku/Naru/Hinata. Fatherly Kakashi. Sexuality, language.
1. Chapter 1

AN: The comments reflect a few disappointments, so I came back to Chapter one to explain a few things first. If you're a Shika fan, you might not like this story. He is OOC, and does something really stupid, because he doesn't think with his big head. Smart people do that sometimes. There is an unusual love tangle in the story – Shika/Sakura/Naruto/Hinata. Also, Sasuke/harem, Ibiki/OC, Gai/OC. There is some sex, but a lot of sexuality. There are nuances here beyond the physical act of sex. The characters are all somewhat OOC. I took them and thought, "how might they have developed differently?" Comments are always appreciated, even negative ones if they provide useful criticism. I appreciate all my commenters, even the flamers if they leave me with something I can work with.

Take This Job and Shove It

_Take this job and shove it  
>I ain't working here no more<br>My woman left and took all the reasons I was working for  
>You better not try to stand in my way<br>When I'm walking out the door  
>Take this job and shove it<br>I ain't working here no more _

_(From Office Space – Canibus)_

Naruto stormed into Tsunade's office, completely unannounced. Kakashi leaned over the Hokage's desk, pointing out mission details in a proposed strategy for the coming offensive against the Sound Villiage. Kakashi's hand went to his kunai and he was reaching for his hitai-ate before he realized it was just Naruto. He pulled his hands away from the weapons with relief and aggravation. He was too tired for this shit. Tsunade worked him almost to collapse, and he didn't need Naruto's drama right now.

"What is this?" Naruto asked loudly. He slammed a paper on top of Kakashi's carefully drawn schematics.

Tsunade stood and let a wave of killing intent sweep the office. Naruto wasn't phased; he wasn't smart enough to know when his own life was in danger some times. He leaned closer to Tsunade and snarled. The fox whiskers began to make an appearance. Kakashi moved back to lean against the wall with a deceptively relaxed appearance. He was ready to intervene if absolutely necessary, but after Tsunade's latest decisions he wasn't sure who he'd help.

Tsunade read the paper, ripped it in half, and dropped it in her waste-basket. "Naruto, you are dismissed. Don't ever come into my office like this again or you'll be doing D-level missions for a month."

Naruto glared. "You're really gonna let this happen? What kind of Hokage are you?"

"Out! Now!" she screamed, and she smashed her fist down, sending the antique oak desk crashing to the floor in splinters. Naruto turned and stomped away, slamming the door so hard a painting of the 1st Hokage fell of the wall and shattered, sending glass everywhere.

"We'll discuss strategy later, Kakashi," she said. "I need to get some air. Have Sakura marked as a missing nin."

When she'd left he picked up the paper. It read,

"_Naruto, by the time you read this I'll be gone. I've been let go from the medical corps. Tsunade just said I wasn't working out. I can't stay here to live in disgrace. I won't go back to the person I was when I was younger. I'm going to find Saskue on my own._

_ Always your friend, Sakura."_

Kakashi tossed the paper back in the basket. "This is not good."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ibiki wiped the sweat and blood off his face. He had a thankless job, and since his "patients" usually didn't survive with mental faculties intact he didn't even have the feeling he was doing anything worthwhile. He pushed Gai away from him, frowning at the man's broken body. Gai fell to the floor and lay unconscious. Gai hadn't given him the information he'd been told to seek, but that was probably because Gai didn't know anything about an upcoming coup. Ibiki was beginning to suspect there was no coup. He'd been careful not to injure Gai beyond the possibility of recovery, but he was in for a rough time, if Tsunade allowed him to live.

Tsunade had been sending Ibiki increasing amounts of civilians and ninjas suspected of traitorous activities. Gai was the latest and the least likely suspect, but Ibiki had never broken his vow to serve his viliage, and he had done as she asked. Orders were orders, and a ninja did not question his superiors. It had been beaten into his head since he was an academy student.

He stopped in the bathroom and vomited. He avoided looking in the mirror, because he didn't want to face the man Tsunade had turned him into. He'd never felt anything other than a sense of duty about this job, but Tsunade had crossed the line. How he hated her at the moment!

Ibiki went to the small on duty medic station just inside his offices. Whenever he had a "session" there was always a medic ready to assist him. He sometimes went too far and had to have emergency treatment given to his victims.

The medic couldn't have been more than 18, far too young for this duty. He was pale and looked nervous. "The suspect in cell three needs attention."

"Is his life in danger?" the medic asked.

"No, but we need him in relatively good condition, so give him as much assistance as you can." It was a lie of course, but Ibiki hated the thought of an innocent man lying wounded for some old woman's paranoia. He had always like Gai. The Green Beast was as devoted to Konoha as he was. Before he left Ibiki showered and hosed off the rain slick that was covered with Gai's blood.

His own offices were hidden behind the police offices. He stepped into the more brightly lit police building and blinked against the light. He wasn't a dark man by nature, but his work kep him hidden away in darkness and fetid torture rooms. Sure, he liked protecting the villiage, but he hadn't wanted to become a professional monster.

He went to the bar. He could keep his mouth shut when he was drunk, so he didn't have to worry about blabbing to some random person about his feelings. He really needed to be drunk right now. Vodka was the only friend he wanted.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shikamaru sat on a hill overlooking downtown. He could see the Hokage tower from there, as well as the main market and part of the residential section. Sometimes he just liked to sit here and think. The wind stirred his hair a bit, but he wasn't able to enjoy the nice weather. Something had been bothering him for awhile. Since Tsundae had awakened from her coma she had been a different person. She was harsh and unforgiving, and he'd noticed an alarming number of people disappearing. Propaganda was beginning to circulate that had a fascist feel to it, and censorship was rearing its ugly head. After Jiryiah's books became politically suspect the old Sanin had openly left the viliage in discust. He wasn't marked as a missing ninja, however. No one was sent after him; he was simply too powerful. _What would Asuma do? _Shikamaru wondered. He knew that no matter what, his sensei would have followed the way of justice, he just wasn't sure what that meant right now.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kakashi was in a sour mood. He sat in the Tulip Lounge, a crappy, badly lit bar. He was acting moderately drunk, but he'd been nursing the same beer for an hour now. In one of Tsunade's new and bizarre ideas, he was one of the ninjas patrolling the bars at night, looking for "subversives". He'd been trying to find a way to talk to her about the changes she'd been making. A sense of fear pervaded the viliage now. Everyone was afraid to say anything that might remotely offend her. Banners supporting her flew from the fronts of most businesses and many homes. It made him sick. This wasn't Konoha, not his Konoha anyway.

He was jealous of Jiraiya. The old man had shook off his sense of duty enough to escape this rotting viliage. Kakashi wanted to follow him, but he owed the people here. Besides, it would mean leaving Naruto and Gai. The others he liked, but those two really kept him here.

Sakura was gone. That was still hard to believe. He suspected it was because Tsunade's age-defying jutsu was slipping and Sakura made the simple mistake of being young. He hoped they didn't catch her.

He was surprised to see Ibiki enter the bar. He sat in one of the darkest booths. Kakashi slid in the seat across from him. "Hey, Ibiki. I never see you here. What's up?" He took a swig of beer and belched, keeping in character.

Ibiki's nose wrinkled in disgust. "Shove off, Kakashi. I want to be alone tonight."

"Fine," Kakashi said. "give me a call sometime when you're in a better mood. We should catch up." He sniffed. "Any reason you smell like blood?"

"Damn your nose, Kakashi. I had a long day at work, alright? Some things just don't wash off."

"Tsunade's doing a good job lately," Kakashi said out of habit. It was safest to add something positive about her to every conversation. Even the oldest friends weren't necessarily safe anymore.

Ibiki looked down at the table. "Yeah, we're a lot safer now than we used to be. I can't imagine what we'd do without her."

Kakashi moved back to his own seat and spent the time until closing observing Ibiki. He'd never known the man to drink much, but he was pounding whiskies back like a two fisted drinker. Kakashi lost track of how many Ibiki put away when he pulled the bandanna off his head, exposing the scars he'd received during his younger years when he'd endured torture himself. He'd suffered for his viliage more than anyone Kakashi knew.

Ibiki wiped his sweating face with the bandanna and passed it across tearful eyes. Kakashi was uncomfortable. Ninjas didn't cry, especially Ibiki. This was probably why Ibiki didn't drink much. Kakashi hated weepy drunks.

"Last call!" the bartender announced. Kakashi was relieved. Aside from the uncomfortable scene unfolding in front of him, he was exhausted. He was on missions every day now, and he was expected to patrol every night looking for subversives. He hadn't had a day off in months.

As he passed Ibiki's table, Ibiki's arm shot out and grabbed him by the elbow. "Find me tomorrow when I sober up," Ibiki drawled. "I need to show you something."

"You going to make it home ok?" Kakashi asked.

"We shouldn't be seen together too much," Ibiki said. "It's not safe."

"Sure, I'll find you later then," he said. Just what he needed, a paranoid drunk. He walked home, finding himself walking slower as he approached his empty apartment. Sometimes he just really didn't want to sleep there. He turned toward the bad side of town instead. Naruto would probably still be awake after what had happened today, and he should probably talk to him before his did something even more rash. It wasn't safe to be seen with Naruto right now, but he didn't care.

He could have hidden himself from the civilians in Naruto's slum, but he didn't bother. He actually hoped someone would bother him. He could work off a bit of aggression that way.

There was a group of men standing around Naruto's apartment complex, getting drunk, shooting up, and making threats toward each other. They watched Kakashi approach with open hostility. "Out of your part of town aren't you, pretty boy?" one of them asked.

They closed in around him, making a circle. Kakashi smiled and rehearsed the rules for civilian fights to himself. _No weapons, and no fatal injuries. Fists and feet only._ "Come on then," he said. "Who's first?"

One of the largest men moved toward him, and Kakashi saw a knife flick open. _Good, _he thought._ Just what I wanted. I knew I'd get some action over here._

He was about to step toward the man when a figure in the crowd stepped forward and punched the knife handler solidly in the chin. The guy went down, and then scrabbled away. "Sorry man. I didn't know he was with you!"

The newcomer faced Kakashi looking at the ground, but with his black hoodie covering his head, Kakashi couldn't make out his face. He threw back the hood, and Kakashi was surprised to find an angry Naruto facing him. "Why are you starting shit in my neighborhood?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi shrugged. "Bored I guess." He noticed the others fading into the darkness. The street was empty. He wondered how many of them had been Tsundae's spies. He'd hear about this tomorrow, if he was lucky enough to be yelled at instead of killed.

"Come on up," Naruto said, but it didn't sound so much like an invitation as an angry command.

They entered Naruto's apartment, and Kakashi noticed that Naruto moved so that he had to enter first. That hurt. Naruto didn't trust him anymore.

"Did Tsunade send you?" Naruto asked. "You're her lapdog, right? Am I going to disappear now? I won't go quietly."

"She doesn't know I'm here," Kakashi said. "I wanted to talk to you myself."

Naruto had some serious shortcomings as a ninja. One was that whatever he was feeling passed right across his face for everyone to see. Kakashi saw hope there. "Isn't that dangerous after today?" Naruto asked.

"Extremely dangerous. But I don't care. Look, you need to go to her tomorrow, apologize, and tell her how right she is about whatever she's obsessed with at the moment. You might just live to see another day if you do."

"I don't think I can," Naruto said.

"You'd better learn," Kakashi said. "This place is going to hell, and if we're not careful we'll head there soon ourselves. She'd old, Naruto. She's too powerful to fight right now, but if we can wait her out we can rebuild after she dies."

"What if we can't? What if we change so much we can't go back?" Naruto asked.

Kakashi had no answer for him. He decided to change the subject. "What are you doing hanging out with that crowd out there? You hang out with druggies and thugs you're going to end up one."

"Since my friends don't talk to me anymore, I figured I'd better make some new ones. As long as I buy the booze they don't give me any problems. I had to knock a few heads together, but they don't start anything with me anymore."

"We had to stop talking to each other, Naruto. If you paid more attention, you'd notice that Tsunade seems to think any powerful people spending much time together are conspiring against her."

"I wish things could be like they used to be. What happened?"

"I think she was so shook up by the Akatsuki attack that she just doesn't know what to do anymore. The coma seems to have messed her up in the head, too. Other than that, I don't know. It doesn't do any good to try to put much sense to crazy."

Kakashi wasn't happy with the visit. He had the feeling that Naruto wouldn't be smart about this. He still loved Sakura on some level, and he would probably get himself killed defending her. Kakashi spent the rest of the night lying in bed trying to think of a way to help his misguided but treasured friend.

He showed up at Tsundae's office the next morning to go over the plans for the offensive again. It was pointless. With Orochimaru dead, there was no reason to attack the sound viliage. It was a waste of life, but Tsundae had quit listening to him long ago.

He passed a tedious day arranging paperwork and running Tsundae's errands. He noticed she was keeping him in the viliage more than usual, and he suspected she didn't even trust him anymore.

After work he went to the police building. He made his way through the busy offices to the almost deserted space behind the main building.

"He's working right now. Please have a seat and he'll be with you." Kakashi didn't like the new secretary. She had a condescending manner. He noticed there was a medic on duty, which meant Ibiki was interrogating someone. He sat down and grabbed a magazine.

The walls weren't soundproof. He heard screaming for at least 30 minutes before the door opened and Ibiki came out, covered in blood and gore.

He sent the medic in to see to the prisoner and turned to Kakashi. "I'm glad you came by. Let me get cleaned up." He told the secretary to leave early and Kakashi was left alone with only the sounds of a prisoner sobbing in one of the cells.

Ibiki came out cleaner and looking more human, but to Kakashi's sensitive nose he still smelled like blood. "Has the medic left yet?" he asked.

"No, why?"

"We'll talk then." Ibiki raised his voice. "So with the new security precautions, I thought we could go over some plans to look for subversives more effectively."

He took some papers out of his desk. "These are names the Hokage gave me to check out. They've been doing suspicious activities." Kakashi was looking at a grocery list.

"Noni?" he asked quietly.

"Just play along," Ibiki whispered. "I don't trust the medic."

Kakashi raised his voice as well. "Of course. Nothing's too much to keep Tsunade-sama safe, right?"

They went on in this manner until the medic left the cell and checked out for the day. Ibiki locked the main door between his office and the police station. He pulled out a flask and offered Kakashi a drink, which he took. "Brace yourself Kakashi; this is bad."

He led Kakashi to cell three and let him in. It took his eye a moment to adjust to the dark. Ibiki entered behind him and closed the door. It clanked loudly, and Kakashi saw the prisoner on the cot shuffle and cough. The blanket was pulled up over his head.

"Who is it?" Kakashi asked.

"Go see," Ibiki said. "You'll only believe if you see this yourself, and I don't think he wants me near him right now."

Kakashi was curious. He moved toward the cot with a sense of dread and pulled the blanket back. The scent of blood and infection hit him heavily. "G – gai?" he asked.

Gai opened the one eye that still worked. "They got you too, my old rival? I guess we'll never find out who wins, huh?" He tried to laugh, but it turned into a cough.

Kakashi turned to Ibiki. "Why? He's never done anything against Konoha. Why would you do this?"

"Consider it the last order I'm following from that old bitch. I'm leaving tonight," Ibiki said, "and I'm taking Gai with me. I could use you, and I'm going to need help getting away. If anyone knew any devious routes out of the villiage it would be you."

"I'm flattered. How do you know I won't turn you in?"

"Just a hunch."

"I'll do this, but we need to stay together until night." Kakashi wasn't taking any chances.

"So you can make sure I don't report to Tsunade?"

"You can't blame me for being careful. It's been done before."

"You know we won't be able to take anything with us. I bet she has all of us watching each other to the point that if we went to our homes and left with baggage we'd be caught immediately."

"I have one stop to make, but it's not the apartment," Kakashi said.

He turned to Gai. "How badly is he hurt?"

"I went as easy as I could, but I had to make a good show of it in case someone checked up on my work. He's bad off, but he'll live. The medic looked him over yesterday. We'll probably have to carry him. I'd give him a couple months before he's useful in a fight, at least."

"That lowers our chance of success, but we can't leave him."

"No," Ibiki said. "This isn't a mission. I won't leave a man behind on this."

Gai sat up, and the blanket slipped from his shoulders. Kakashi winced at his friend's condition. He was covered in purple bruises and barely healed cuts and burns. The left side of his face was swollen. The truly frightening idea here was that Ibiki had considered this going easy on Gai.

"I don't want you to risk your lives on my account," Gai said. "Get out of here. Find Jiraiya and come back. Mabey you can do something together."

"First, we've been through too much for me to abandon you here," Kakashi said. "Second, we can't do anything. If we fight here, countless civilians would be killed. There might not even be a viliage left."

"Where are we going?" Gai asked. "Missing nins don't have much chance out there."

"I don't know," Kakashi said. "We'll have to figure that out later. Getting away is going to be difficult enough as it is."

Gai hadn't said anything about youth during the whole visit, and his manner was so different Kakashi barely believed it was him. He dozed off and on, and he was developing a fever.

"If we can shake off our pursuers, we need to find Sakura first," Kakashi said.

"Do you have any idea where to find her? I got the missing nin notice, but I don't know where Saskue might have gone. The paper sent out said she'd left to find him."

"That's probably a ruse," Kakashi said. "I think I know where she went. I'll give you more details later."

"Still don't trust me?" Ibiki asked.

"Of course not. I'm willing to risk my own life, and Gai's going to die if we don't do something, but I'm not willing to take a chance with Sakura. She escaped, and I want her to make another life somewhere else. I'll trust you when we've left the viliage."

"So who are we stopping for then? Whoever you're bringing is at risk too."

"I never said I was bringing anyone else," Kakashi said.

"You said you had one stop to make. You'd only do that for something more important than your own life."

"I can't tell you yet. You understand, I'm sure."

"I do. I just hope you made a good choice."

"He won't turn on us. I'm sure of that much," Kakashi said.

Ibiki and Kakashi left the cell, locking Gai back in. They were taking no chances on being discovered. Ibiki unlocked the filing cabinet and pulled out two duffels. "I brought what supplies I could fit in here this morning. No one should be suspicious of me bringing bags to work."

He pulled out an extra shirt. "It's a good thing this happened in spring. If it'd been winter we'd have more problems." He took the shirt to Gai. They had to help him dress, and he was obviously in pain from the movement.

"Gai, I'm sorry," Ibiki said.

"It's orders," Gai said. "I understand."

Ibiki gave him some pain pills. Gai settled into a drugged sleep, and Kakashi saw his face relax for the first time.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Kakashi asked. "He can't defend himself at all this way."

"I know what I did to him; he needs those pills. He's incapacitated anyway. I gave him a strong dose. He'll be out for at least 30 hours. If we can last that long we can probably escape. If not, he might as well die unaware of us killing him. I won't let him be captured, if it comes down to that."

Kakashi looked at his sleeping friend. He realized Ibiki's determination was partly due to his own experiences with being held captive. He knew he might have to kill his friend to prevent him being tortured. "No I won't let him be captured. We'll at least be able to spare him that. You don't give us much of a chance, do you?"

"Not really. Missing nins usually have at least a decent chance because they have the element of surprise on their side, but after Sakura and Jiryiah left, I'm sure Tsunade has ANBU on high alert. I have intelligence that suggests she's turned ROOT to her uses. She is running Konoha like they wanted, after all. It's better to die trying to be free than die here, though."

"What about the rest of Anbu, though?" Kakashi asked. "I can't see Tensou helping with this, at least."

"Dead, unfortunately. All the old Anbu are dead. I had to interrogate them myself. Orders came down direct from Tsunade that none of them were to be allowed to live."

"They were tortured to death then?" Kakashi asked. He would miss Tenzo.

"Unfortunately. If it makes you feel any better, I made a "mistake" with Tenzo and he died just after the interrogation began."

"That's something at least, but why now then? If you did all that, why did you suddenly decide to leave and betray the viliage?"

Ibiki gestured toward Gai. "I could see where ABNU might turn against Tsunade, and even though I don't like her actions she is the Hokage. It was my duty to serve, and I served. ANBU might have used their power against her. They were loyal to the Namikaze first, and she was going directly against his wishes. There's no way Gai would ever betray the viliage though. He's absolutely childish in his loyalties."

"He was," Kakashi said. "His blind faith means he's been more betrayed than any of us. I don't know if he'll ever trust anyone again."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They were lucky. The moon would rise late that night, and storms were predicted for the next morning. It could help them hide their tracks. When it was time, Ibiki helped Kakashi load Gai onto his back. Kakashi shifted Gai's limp weight. They had decided on him carrying Gai because Ibiki was better at hand-to-hand fighting, and they couldn't use chakra techniques without raising an alarm.

"There's something I need to do," Ibiki said. "This won't take long."

Kakashi decided to follow just in case Ibiki was going to try to contact Tsunade's spies. He wanted to trust Ibiki, but he didn't dare until they were out of the viliage. Ibiki went cell to cell, snapping the prisoners' necks. "That's all I can do for them," he said. Kakashi understood. It was a mercy to keep them from Tsunade's wrath.

Ibiki opened a secret trap door underneath his desk. "There's a tunnel to my house from here. We'll use an exit under the old park."

They came up under the old park, just like Ibiki said. "So where to now?" Ibiki asked. "You needed to stop somewhere before we left?"

"This way," Kakashi said. They were close to where Naruto lived, fortunately, and they used all their stealth to get there undetected. The back of the apartment building had been built almost flush with a high cliff, and Kakashi was able to use this to his advantage. He had no choice but leave Gai with Ibiki so that he could get Naruto. Naruto had the window open, so Kakashi pushed the screen in and stepped inside. He could hear Naruto washing dishes. He stepped into the living room/kitchen area. "If I were an enemy, you'd be dead."

"I knew you were there," Naruto said. "I just decided I'd rather be dead than fight my friends."

"I have other plans. Come on, we're leaving."

Naruto gave Kakashi a long look. "You're really going to abandon the villiage? I don't believe you."

"We either leave or die here. We don't have time to discuss this. Are you coming or not?"

"Let me grab a few things."

"No time," Kakashi said. "We have to go now."

Naruto stopped long enough to grab the picture of Team 7, and they were gone. Kakashi noticed Naruto didn't look back, and he was glad the boy wasn't attached to his apartment. That might make things easier.

"Gai-sensei?" Naruto asked. "What happened?"

"No time for questions kid," Ibiki said.

Kakashi lifted Gai onto his back again, and he lead them to a part of the slums where a trash pile pushed up against the wall enough that they were able to climb over a pile of old appliances and escape. They couldn't relax yet, but the hardest part was over. As they were heading into the forest, a familiar figure stepped out of the trees. "Wait," Shikamaru said. "I want to go with you."

"How did you know we'd be here, or that we'd even be leaving?" He sat Gai down, ready to fight.

"I didn't know who would leave specifically, but by my calculations this was the most logical way to sneak out of Konoha. It just made sense that people would try to flee. I've been out here every night for a week. My chances are better with others than alone."

"Glad to have you along then," Kakashi said. "We can't stand around talking though."

Ibiki handed Kakashi a vial. "Drink this first," he said.

"What is it?" Kakashi swirled the amber fluid suspiciously.

"It's an antidote to the slow poison I slipped you in that drink earlier, just in case you turned on me. It would have taken effect tomorrow."

Kakashi swallowed the antidote. "You're a right bastard sometimes, you know that Ibiki?"

"So I've been told."

They raced at their maximum pace for hours, and the storm hit with the dawn. They ran into the rain for about an hour when Kakashi noticed Gai shivering on his back. He knew this country well, and he stopped at a natural shelter where a large oak had fallen and gathered enough ivy and debris to hold the rain off.

"We can't stop," Ibiki said. "The secretary will get to the office at 8:00 A.M. They'll be after us soon."

Kakashi pulled Gai's shirt off and chafed his arms to bring some heat back. It was decently warm, but the rain had given him a chill. "He already had a fever. This rain could kill him."

"We can spare an hour," Shikamaru said. "I arranged for a diversion before we left. There's going to be a landslide near the Hokage Monument. That should get some attention." He hung Gai's shirt, pants, and socks over a dead branch to dry, and the others followed suit, trying to get their clothes as dry as possible before they had to leave.

"Where are we going?" Shikamaru asked. "Is there a plan?

"I think Sakura left a message for Naruto in the note she left. She said, "I can't stay here to live in disgrace. I won't go back to the person I was when I was younger." It's chancy, but I think she means for us to go back to the place where we had our earliest fights as Team 7. She always felt ashamed of her performance there."

"Where would that be?" Ibiki asked.

"I doubt she means that place on the road, so she'll probably be at the Great Naruto Bridge. We need to get Gai to her. He's been hurt badly, and he might be sick now."

"Sakura left the viliage? Shikamaru asked.

"Yeah, she had a missing nin notice put out for her."

Ibiki carried Gai when they decided to move on. They left without feeling any more rested, and the storm was worse if anything. It let up after about an hour, but steady rain continued into the night. Gai woke up confused and groggy. The night was chilly, and they stopped to shelter in a cave. They couldn't light a fire, and by the morning Kakashi had joined Gai with a low fever and cough. He couldn't hide the cough, but he didn't say anything about the fever. With the extra work he been doing over the last few months, he had exhausted himself to the point where his immune system was out of whack.

They ran silently for the better part of the day, stopping once to eat and allow Gai to rest. Kakashi hid his worsening condition. They didn't need one more thing to slow them down. That night though, a cough took hold of him he couldn't shake. He had to lean on a tree for support, and he couldn't stop until he coughed up a large glob of green pleghm. His legs shook and he gasped for breath.

"Lie down, now," Ibiki said, and Kakashi could hear the anger in his voice. He was glad for the chance to lie down though. He didn't think he could go much further anyway.

"Naruto, hand me the duffels," Ibiki growled. He dug around until he found the medicine stash he'd brought with him.

"You should have told us you were sick," he told Kakashi.

"It wouldn't have done any good, and it would have just slowed everyone down."

Ibiki handed him a pill and his flask. "Don't pull this shit again, Kakashi. We need to work as a team or we won't make it."

Kakashi took the medicine and lay back, every muscle aching. He began to shake and his teeth chattered. Shikamaru took off his flak jacket and wrapped it around Kakashi's chest. The others did the same, wrapping his legs to try to stave off the chill.

Gai had gotten over his own cold, but he was still weak from his wounds. Ibiki helped him over to where Kakashi lay, and he pulled a blanket from one of his bags. He placed it over them, but it was too small. Shikamaru lay down next to Kakashi to share his body heat, and Ibiki lay next to Gai. Naruto took first watch.

He didn't wake up until Naruto was loading him onto his back. They had to stop several times to let him work the infected phlegm out, and the third time he couldn't even manage to stay on his hands and knees. He sank to the forest floor, choking. Naruto pounded him on the back, which did more harm than good. Shikamaru lifted him to a sitting position, and leaned him over so that he was facing the ground. Kakashi got some of the blockage out, but he still couldn't breathe well. Shikamaru turned him on his back and breathed into him to try to force some air back into his lungs. He saw Shikamaru's panicked look as he pushed mouthful after mouthful of air into him. He got some of the ability to breathe back, but he groaned as they lifted him onto Naruto's back.

"We're almost there," Naruto said. "Hold on."

It seemed like an eternity before they stopped outside the small fishing villiage. Shikamaru and Naruto went into the viliage, leaving Gai, Kakashi, and Ibiki hidden in the woods nearby. He lay there about 30 minutes and then he felt his breath leave him again. Ibiki tried to breathe for him as Shikamaru had done earlier, but it wasn't working this time. He began to see the world through a tunnel, and he knew he was dying. He saw a girl leap through the bushes and push Ibiki aside. She had a dark tan and long black hair tied back. The girl knelt by him, and when she placed her hands on his chest he felt familiar healing chakra flow through him. His tired lungs worked again, and even though his chest felt like it was on fire, he could finally breathe. He recognized the chakra. They had found Sakura.

Sakura managed to sneak them all into the tiny room she was renting, and they settled Gai and Kakashi onto the bed. She caught them up as she worked on Gai.

"The economy is so much better after they built the bridge. I left the clue in my note and decided to wait here for a year or so, and if you didn't come after me I'd go somewhere else. I don't really have anything planned beyond that."

"We should let them heal and then get as far away from Konoha as we can," Shikamaru said.

Gai healed faster than Kakashi, and was up and moving around freely a week later. With the faster economy they were all able to get jobs as fishermen. A few days later Kakashi woke up from a troubled sleep to the soft sound of Sakura crying in the corner.

"Sakura?" he asked, his voice still gravely from sleep.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you," she said.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She crawled onto the bed beside him. She put her arm around him and rested her head on his shoulder. "I miss the old days. There's got to be something we can do to help our friends."

"We can wait Tsunade out. When she dies we can return, hopefully. I was thinking we could find Jiraiya. Mabey he has a better idea." She was asleep and didn't hear him. He looked at the unfamiliar dark hair and fake tan and sighed. He fell asleep with her lying on his shoulder. When he woke, she was gone.

When he was strong enough they decided to move on. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to stay in one place too long. They had all died their hair and skin to match the locals, but they would eventually be found out.

"Where should we start?" Naruto asked. "Does anyone have idea where Jiraiya would be?"

"Probably a whore house," Sakura said.

They were trying to form a decent plan when there was a knock on the door. Naruto, Gai, and Shikamaru crept out of the window, and Kakashi and Ibiki hid in the sparse room. There wasn't much to hide behind, but they were ninjas, so they made due.

"Come in?" Sakura said.

Saskue stepped into the room in black robes sporting the Uchia symbol. "You were too easy to find, Sakura. We need a medic. If you wanted to follow me get your things and let's go."

Kakashi and Ibiki stepped out of hiding, and the others climbed back in the window.

"What are you doing here Teme?" Naruto asked.

"I might ask you the same thing," Saskue said. "Whatever happened to the loyalty to the viliage speeches?"

"It's not like that," Naruto said. "We had to leave."

"Like I had to leave? Mabey you understand a bit more now."

Naruto stepped closer to Saskue, fists clenched. Ibiki laid a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto, take a walk," he said.

Naruto left the room, making sure he bumped shoulders with Saskue as he left. Saskue ignored him. "What's this about?" Saskue asked. "Is this another attempt to take me back to Konoha again?"

"You haven't heard ? Kakashi asked. "We left. We're missing nins."

Saskue laughed. "That's rich. Did you really think I'd believe that? I have people in key areas of Konoha, and you haven't been put on the missing nin list. I'd know. Sakura's the only one on the lists."

"Jiraiya's not on the list either, but he's gone," Sakura said. Kakashi gave her a warning glance. He didn't want to give Saskue too much information about Konoha.

"I know about Jiraiya. Mabey Tsunade didn't want to put you on the list for the same reason he's not on there. It would waste an enourmous amount of human resourses to come after you. She probably just put you on there for personal reasons. You two were close. She probably views your defection as the worst. If you stay under the radar you might be able to live an unmolested life as fishermen." He laughed. "What are you planning to do, live here in this backwater town until you rot?"

"We're trying to figure that out now," Ibiki said.

"I'll check out your story. If it's true, you're welcome to live in my viliage, if you can keep Naruto under control. I'm the Kage there, and I don't have time for games with him. If you want to do this, meet me at the place Naruto and I fought the first time. I'm sure you remember where it is."

After he left, they talked over his offer. Naruto came back, still fuming. When he heard Saskue's offer he was furious. "What do you mean you're thinking about it?" He asked. "Saskue betrayed the viliage."

"So did we," Sakura said. "And it turned out he was right, even if it was for different reasons."

"Do you all want to do this?" Naruto asked.

"It's the best idea we've had yet. Saskue didn't say anything about having to stay there, although in order to get any missions I'm sure we'd have to commit to the viliage."

"Missions? Are you serious? We'd have to go against Konoha sooner or later."

"We might," Kakashi said. "I'm sure Saskue's smart enough not to try our loyalties though. We can request missions after all."

Naruto crossed his arms and pouted. "I don't like this, but if you're all going it's better than living alone. That dobe better not cross me though. I'll pound him."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "He's the Kage there, Naruto. You have to obey him. You might as well get used to the idea."

"I guess," he said.

"That will have to be good enough," Ibiki said.

"Gai, any thoughts?" Skikamaru asked.

"Whatever you want. It doesn't really matter, does it?" Shikamaru didn't like Gai's attitude lately. Since they had left Konoha he hadn't cared about anything, and Shikamaru wondered if he'd ever feel connected to anyone or anything ever again. He was so apathetic they actually had to make sure he ate.

They set out the next day. Ibiki and Kakashi talked in low tones whenever they stopped.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Naruto asked.

"I imagine they are considering what our new lives are going to be like," Shikamaru said.

"They could include us," Sakura said.

Gai didn't say anything, as usual.

"They probably still think of themselves as Jounin and therefore leaders. They can take the lead if they want to, as far as I'm concerned. It's troublesome."

Naruto wasn't the type to let things go. He approached Kakashi at their next stop. "Why are you and Ibiki talking behind our backs. What are you two plotting?"

"Nothing. We were just discussing some things we've been thinking about. Sometimes it's just nice to talk to someone your own age. You'll understand when you're older."

Sakura began to talk less as they approached the battle ground. She became weepy but didn't talk about what she was feeling. The site had healed after all these years, and the massive pit caused by their battle had been filled by creeks to form a picturesque pond.

"I wonder why he chose here," Naruto said.

"To remind us he's stronger, most likely," Shikamaru said.

Saskue arrived several hours later. "I'm glad you decided to come. If you'll follow me we've arranged for housing already. We have a number of houses built and ready for new members."

"Just so you know, I didn't want to do this. I'm just here because I didn't want to be cut off from my friends," Naruto said.

"We'll talk later," Saskue said. "I have something special in mind for you. I think you'll like it."

"I doubt it," Naruto said.

"Look, don't you think it's time we moved past this? We're adults now. We can't be acting like kids all our lives."

Naruto scowled at him, but he didn't respond. As they were heading toward the villiage, Kakashi asked Saskue, "what happened? You used to growl at him every time you came near him."

"Being married and having 14 children in several years makes a man learn to hold his temper."

"14? Seriously? Why?"

"If I want to rebuild the Uchia clan I have to start somewhere. Children are generally required to build a clan."

"I also have a good advisor. You'll meet him in a few weeks when he returns from traveling. He's not around the viliage much, really."

"Well, it's good to see you've grown up."

Saskue nodded in response, and they entered a mountain pass. "We're being watched right now, aren't we?" Kakashi asked.

"Of course," Saskue said.

He took them into the viliage, which was still small. There were a number of houses, one store, training grounds, a hospital, school , and Saskue's house. Saskue's house was grander and set slightly away from the rest of them. The viliagers stopped to watch them, and a small girl who was obviously an Uchia ran up to Sakura.

"This is for the new kinoichi," she said, and handed Sakura a flower.

Saskue ruffled her hair and smiled at the girl, and she giggled and ran away. "I told them you might be coming. Everyone's excited. Most of us are missing nins here. I've made it my business to find out why a person left their viliage. The ones who left for reasons I can agree with have been tracked down and invited to join us. We have people from all the major viliages except the Sound. I don't bother with them. They're eaten up with anger to be of much use to me." The girl hid behind a building, watching them.

Saskue's house was made of local stone like the others, and he had a large foyer to greet them. They could see it was actually a group of houses, a compound without a fence. A blonde woman with high cheekbones met them at the door. "Welcome," she said. "I am Uchia Tenara. We're glad to have you here."

Saskue kissed her on the cheek and she blushed and retreated into the house. He directed the ninjas toward chairs arranged in a semi circle. He took a chair in front of them.

"Our viliage is made up of powerful outcasts. We have several houses set aside for you, if you decide to stay. Wives will be provided for you, if you want. We have several girls who have volunteered already. I do ask that you have at least one child. We need children for the viliage to grow."

"And what about me?" Sakura asked. "I don't want a husband picked out for me."

"It's your choice of course. You have a reputation as an extremely strong ninja. Every man that's still single in the viliage has offered, but if you don't want any of them it's your own business. I won't force you to choose. It seems wrong somehow. Eventually, you'll have to find someone, but I'll leave that to you."

"That's the first thing you've said that I like," Naruto said.

"I'm coming to you," Saskue said. "I would like you to be a Sanin of the viliage. It means that unlike the ninjas you're free to come and go as you please. You can take whatever missions you want, and you will always be captain on missions unless you decide to pass that to a ninja. Is that acceptable?"

"Why would you do that? This isn't like you," Naruto said.

"Leading a viliage and managing 10 wives and 14 children has taught me a great deal. I don't have time or energy to fight with my own people. This gives you almost as much power as I have. In fact, the only other person on your level will be my advisor and Sakura, who I will also consider a Sanin, due to her power. I realize what you were trying to do for me when I was younger. I don't need a brother, but I do need Sanins. You're powerful enough, and dependable. The two of you will be expected to lead the younger ninjas as they grow and to support the viliage as needed. You will, of course be my advisors."

"I'd like to know who this mysterious advisor is," Kakashi said.

"In time," Saskue said. "I'd tell you now, but I know he'd like to surprise you, and this amuses me."

They discussed the details of their new life, and Ibiki asked, "what if we decide this isn't for us?"

"That's acceptable. I'll use the sharingan to erase your memories, have you transported back to the fishing viliage, and you can live out your lives trying to get fish guts out of your clothes."

He smiled graciously. "Let's hope that's not necessary. I'll show you to your homes now."

As they walked through the viliage, he pulled Sakura aside. "I know I treated you badly when I was younger. We all make mistakes. I hope you'll forgive me."

"I forgave you long ago," she said. "Do you really have 10 wives?"

"I need to raise as many Uchia children as possible. It's a common practice, and it's not just for men. We have a kinoichi who has two husbands. We're very lax about such things here."

"Wow," Sakura said. "I can't imagine that."

"It's very nice sometimes, and aggravating as hell occasionally. Sometimes they gang up on me, but they all love me. I can usually talk myself out of trouble."

"You've changed a lot."

"Being a father made me look at the world differently. A lot of people depend on me now."

As they came to the houses set aside for them, Saskue said. "By the way, if you'd ever like to join the Uchia household, you're more than welcome. Some of the children have already been asking if they're going to have a new second mother. That's what they call my other wives."

Sakura blushed and stammered an unintelligible reply. She noticed Kakashi and Naruto watching them with scowls.

"We should probably join the others before your overprotective brother and Sensei attack me in my own viliage."

The houses had two rooms each. Kakashi and Gai decided to room together, and Naruto decided to take Shikamaru for a roommate. With a completely straight face Ibiki told Saskue, "I think I'll take you up on that marriage offer, if any of the young women will have me. Most of the women were scared of me in Konoha. I'd like the chance to have a family."

"Really? Of course," Saskue said. "We have several women who are interested. Everyone here wants a strong ninja for a spouse. Some of them had to leave their entire families behind and want to start new ones here."

"Do they know about the scars?" Ibiki asked.

"They do, actually. I'll introduce you to Morei Kai. She finds scars particularly attractive – thinks they make a man look rugged."

Ibiki smiled. He thought he might like this place.

He took Sakura to a house with pink shutters and wind chimes in front of the door. "This is Morei Kai's house. You'll be staying with her. I think you two will get along. She's the quiet type – reminds me of Hinata actually. How is Hinata doing?"

"She doesn't come out of the Hyuga compound unless she has to. Naruto's disappearance will be a huge blow for her. I wouldn't be surprised if she tries to follow him."

"If she does, we'll find her and bring her here. I don't go after ninjas unless they leave their viliage. I need to see that level of strength. I hope she does leave though. The Byakugan would be a valuable asset."

"Is that how you think about everything? Are we all just assets?"

"This isn't Konoha, Sakura. We do things differently here. We are connected by family ties or just a need to have a place to live and work, but we're much stronger in our relationships. We're at least more practical about how the world works."

"I'm sorry to hear you feel like that," she said.

He stepped closer to her and took her hands in his. "I don't feel like that about everyone, Sakura. I've heard how much you tried to do for me. Thank you." He let her hands go. "Enjoy your new home. Kai will be home in a couple days from her mission. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."

Saskue called them together that night. They gathered in his home. "My advisor came home early. I'd like you to meet him."

They were all shocked when Jiraiya leapt into the room in his special Kabuke-no-jutsu. "Ta-da!" he said. "Are you surprised?"

"Jiraiya!" Sakura squeeled, and ran to hug him. The rest of them just stood and stared.

"Naruto, pick your jaw up boy," Jiryiah said.

Naruto's mouth closed with a snap. They all caught up with each other for hours.


	2. Chapter 2

Ibiki had a house all to himself. Sasuke must have figured that he'd be sharing it with a woman soon. He liked the place. It was made of grey stone with simple wood furniture. He liked simplicity.

Ibiki unpacked what was left of his duffel bags. There was a spare bit of clothing, some dried fish, and a medical kit. He ate the fish and sat down on the bed to consider his future. Someone had provided a colorful quilt and yellow curtains, but the rest of the room was bare except for the bed and a dresser. He tried to picture a woman in the room, cleaning or reading. Reading would be nice. He liked intelligent women. He thought about his future children, and he hoped that Kai would be a good wife.

He lay back on the bed and allowed his mind to wander. He'd never really dared to hope for a wife or family. It just didn't make sense. He was Konoha's legally sanctioned killer, a dangerous dog kept around the back yard. No one ever wanted to pet the yard dog.

He checked out the kitchen. There were a few pots and pans, and a couple glasses and dishes. That was ok. She'd been here for awhile, so she'd probably have her own set.

He needed some new clothes. There was no sense meeting Kai in fisherman's gear. He had a bit of money, but it wouldn't be enough. He took a walk around the village, and he saw a man with a clipboard who looked like he knew what he was doing. He had glasses that kept slipping and thinning hair.

"Do you know where I can find out about missions? I'm new here."

The man smiled. "You must be Moreno Ibiki. You're checking in early, aren't you?"

"I want to get to work. It's been too long." He didn't feel like telling him about Kai.

"I'm the mission officer, actually. My name is Ifor Magne. Nice to meet you." Ibiki shook the offered hand.

"Could you tell me what you consider your strong points? I haven't been told much about you except for your physical description and that you're from Konoha. Sasuke-sama's been busy. He hasn't told me much about your group yet."

"I used to specialize in subterfuge. I've been working as Konoha's chief interrogator for years, but I'd really like to get away from that."

Magne nodded. "I understand. We all want something different, or we wouldn't be here. I try not to have ninjas involved in missions against their former villages, if possible. You understand it may be a necessity in the future though, I hope."

"I do. I understand what it means to be a ninja. I appreciate you trying to avoid sending me against them, though. There's one other thing. I've been posing as a fisherman for awhile, and I don't have any decent clothes. Can I requisition a uniform?"

"Of course. You'll need to take this to the store." He wrote something on a piece of paper and signed it. "You get two uniforms and two sets of civilian clothing. The store also doubles as our supply depot for now."

Ibiki headed to the store and collected his clothes. When he was home he surveyed them critically. The uniform wasn't much different than Konoha's, with the exception that it boasted a hitai-ate with the Uchia symbol on it. He never would have imagined he'd sport that symbol. He tried on the clothes. They fit moderately well, but he could alter them later. They'd do for now.

He found out where Kai lived and headed to her house. He was surprised when Sakura answered the door. He was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to notice she'd been crying. "Is Kai home? Sasuke said she'd like to meet me."

"She's not back from her mission for a couple of days, but you can come in if you like." Again, he missed Sakura's signals.

"No, that's ok. I don't want to see her house until she's here. This is special for me."

He went home and slept soundly that night, with dreams of laughing children.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Kakashi and Gai came to the same conclusion as Ibiki about the necessity for less fish-smelling clothing, and signed up for mission availability. With their house still empty, the place felt more like a dorm to Kakashi than a home, but Gai opened the living room window and looked at their view of the surrounding cliffs. They were in the crater of an extinct volcano, and the view was uninteresting, but Gai stared anyway.

Gai turned and looked at their simple home. "It's not Konoha, but I think I could grow to like this place. Sasuke seems to know what he's doing, and the place looks like it's friendly. I don't want to take a wife anytime soon, though."

"That's more than you've said for days," Kakashi said.

"I've been tied up in the past. I've got to face facts. My youth is gone. There are children here to teach, though. I'd like that. If I can't teach the children of Konoha, at least I can help raise some of these to live and fight honorably."

"That's good to hear," Kakashi said. "I'm glad you found something you can believe in."

"What about you?" Gai asked. "You were so devoted to Konoha."

"Yes, and I doubt I'll ever feel the same about this place. I always felt like I let Sasuke down though, and maybe I can make that up to him now. I still want to help guide Naruto too, and I think Sakura needs us too. She's not taking this well."

Naruto didn't even bother unpacking what meager belongings he had gathered since leaving Konoha. He just put Team Seven's picture on his dresser and set out to meet people. By the time night rolled around he had managed to meet everyone his own age and many of the children and older adults. He managed to get into one argument and make two friends, Sal and Borie. Sal wouldn't say what village he was from, just that he didn't want to talk about his dead past. Borie was from the Rain Village. He'd left because he didn't feel like he could learn his true power surrounded by friends and family. He wanted to test himself in the world.

Shikamaru went to Sasuke and asked where the library was. Sasuke showed him to the books stored carefully in his house. "Everyone is allowed to access these. I have others I only let select people see, but because your main strength is scholarship I'll let you have access. Those are an S-class secret though."

"I'm honored Sasuke-sama," he said. When he saw the massive room filled with priceless dusty volumes he grinned and began to cry. "So many books," he whispered.

"O…k," Sasuke said. "I'll leave you here. Lock up when you leave, and don't get any happy tears on the books, ok?"

That night Sakura lay on her bed, miserable and unable to sleep. All she could think of was the friends she'd left. Was Ino ok, and what about Sai? She even missed Tsunade – the woman she had loved, not the monster she'd become.

She wanted to be with someone she knew. Knowing Naruto and Shikamaru, Naruto would probably be doing something social, and Shikamaru would probably be thinking or reading. She headed toward Gai and Kakashi's house.

When she knocked on the door, she heard a tentative, "who is it?" from Kakashi.

"Just me," she said.

He opened the door and let her in. He glanced around the street suspiciously and closed the door.

"What was that about?" she asked.

"I'm trying to avoid the women in this place. I took a walk earlier, just to see the place. I got three marriage proposals. One chick from the Sand Village actually started giving me her pedigree!"

"I guess you're prime man-bait," Sakura said with a smile.

"Not funny. I'm trying to avoid this marriage thing for as long as possible. I know it's an order, but I'm going to put it off until I find someone who wants a baby without tying me down. There's got to be a couple women that just want a baby, maybe a lesbian or something.

Sakura noticed a full collection of the Icha Icha novels on his bookshelf. "At least you haven't changed. I was starting to think all my friends were bonkers." She picked up volume one and thumbed through it. "Where did you get these?"

"They were a gift from Sasuke. They're signed."

"Nice," she said and put the book back on the shelf. "Do you like it here? Don't you miss the old life?"

"Sure, but that will pass. This isn't a bad place, and there's a freedom here I've been missing. If I can get this marriage obsession handled, I might grow to like this place. I think I'm going to have to wait for a mission outside the village to get in a good casual screw."

Sakura opened her mouth to offer, but thought better of it. Sure he was an attractive man, but he was her Sensei, and that would be too weird. A casual screw wasn't a bad idea, though. She wondered if that was exactly what she needed. She'd never slept with someone just to have sex, but it would be nice to be that close to anyone right now.

She didn't want to return to her empty house, so she made her way to Naruto and Shikamaru's place. They hadn't done anything with it, of course, but Shikamaru was sitting at the kitchen table happily working his way through a pile of books.

"What is all this?" she asked.

"Sasuke has a huge library. This is all publically accessible. You wouldn't believe some of the things I found there. Remember that forbidden scroll Naruto stole? A copy of it is right here. We couldn't even read it in Konoha, and here everyone can learn these jutsus. I love this place! I haven't even gotten to the restricted section yet."

He finally looked up and saw Sakura's face. "You've been crying. What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm just out of sorts."

He stood up and moved her hair away from her eyes so he could see them better. "No, your face is swollen. You've been crying for awhile."

On impulse she hugged him. He held her for a few minutes, stroking her hair. "You miss Konoha?" he asked.

"I'm so lonely," she said.

"Everyone but Naruto and Ibiki are lonely. I think it will get better with time."

She looked up into his serious dark eyes. "I'm lonely now," she whispered. "I don't want to be alone tonight."

"I understand," he said, and kissed her. His house was so new the bedroom still smelled like fresh cut wood. Shikamaru was an awkward and inexperienced lover, but Sakura didn't mind; she hadn't had much experience herself. The sex wasn't great, but when they finished and Shikamaru fell asleep, Sakura felt better than she had in months. She held him and enjoyed being with a friend.

When he woke up she was gone. He wondered if he had dreamed the whole night until he found a pink hair ribbon by his bed. He put them on his dresser and promptly forgot the whole episode as he dug happily into his studies.

Sakura didn't forget though. She hoped she hadn't made a mistake. She made her way around the village, meeting people and finding the mission officer. Every time she met a man in the village she remembered Sasuke saying they'd all wanted to marry her, and she was embarrassed.

Ibiki met Kai that night. He liked her immediately. She was petite, with dark hair and a figure on the thin side. She blushed through their entire conversation. He noticed with satisfaction that she had four bookshelves in her living room filled to overflowing with all types of books, and a coffee table filled with scholarly books and notepads. He left feeling very good about the visit. When he got home he indulged in fantasies of a happy home again.

A couple nights later, Sakura found herself in Shikamaru's arms again. There were no promises between them, just two lonely people finding comfort in each other. Sakura didn't really want more at the moment. She wasn't ready for a relationship anyway.

They all settled into a new life. Ibiki and Kai were seen together every time they weren't on missions, Gai actually began to smile, and Naruto was making friends left and right.

Everyone loved Naruto. One day Sakura was at his house chatting with Shikamaru, and Naruto came home with his face painted like a fox. They laughed at him, and Shikamaru asked, "what happened? You look ridiculous."

"I know. I was over at Sasuke's, and I started playing with some of his kids. A couple of the girls saw the whisker marks and thought this would be funny. I don't know what they used, but it isn't washing off. Sasuke laughed for an hour about this."

"I'm sorry," Sakura said. "Did anyone give you any problems?"

"No. This doesn't mean anything here. I could run around in a fuzzy fox suit and the worst that would happen is people would laugh at me. No one's afraid of me here, even though most of them know about the Kyubi. I even had a couple women tell me they thought the whiskers are sexy."

"They are," Shikamaru said. "I can barely contain myself."

"Gross," Naruto said. "I'm gonna go see if I can get this off."

"I'm glad he's happy," Sakura said.

"Are you?" Shikamaru asked.

"I don't know. I think I will be, in time. I'll probably find someone to marry, have some kids. Then I'll be happy, I think."

"Um, you do know I'm not the marrying type, right? I mean, I'll have too eventually, but I don't want to until Sasuke pushes the issue."

"I know. Don't take this the wrong way, but I wasn't thinking of you. I'm comfortable with what we have. The whole friends with benefits thing works for me. I'll probably get with one of the village men eventually."

The women quit bothering Kakashi openly once they found out he wasn't interested, but he noticed that most of his missions were with female teammates. He suspected Sasuke was trying to set him up to get the Hatake white chakra added to the village's gene pool. Sasuke had become absolutely obsessed with new blood in the village. Kakashi guessed Sasuke was the type to obsess over something, and at least he was focused on something useful.

Things progressed smoothly for a few weeks, and then Sakura's life skidded to a halt again. She sat on a bench in the small but well kept park weighing her options. She desperately needed someone to talk to. She'd never made friends easily, and she hadn't made any in the village yet, just a few acquaintances with Kunoichis and a couple of Sasuke's wives. Ibiki, Gai, and Shikamaru were out of the question, and Kakashi was on a mission for the week. That only left Naruto. She hoped he would be a good shoulder to lean on.

She knocked on the door, hoping Shikamaru wouldn't answer. Naruto did, and said, "what's wrong? You don't look well."

"Can we talk? I got some disturbing news today, and I need someone to talk to."

"Sure, come on in."

They sat down and Naruto made tea. "Come on and tell ni-san all about it," he joked.

She decided to get right to the point. "I'm not sure how I feel about this yet, but I was late."

"I don't get it," he said. "If you're late why are you talking to me? Shouldn't you be going?

She took a deep breath. Of course he was too dense for that explanation. She was starting to wish she'd waited for Kakashi to get home. "I took a test. I'm pregnant."

His eyes widened. "Ohhh," he said. "whose is it?"

"Shikamaru's. I haven't told him yet. I'm ok with raising the baby alone, but I'm afraid of how he's going to take this."

"There's only one way to find out," Naruto said.

"I know. I'm just nervous. I like the idea of having a baby; I just hope she can know her father."

"How do you know it's a girl?" Naruto asked.

She smiled. "I just hope so."

Shikamaru came in with a new pile of books. He set them on the table and went right to work. "Hey," Sakura said. "I need to talk to you."

"Sure," Shikamaru said. "I can't talk long though. I have a mission coming up I need to prepare for."

"I need to go do…something," Naruto said, and left.

An awkward silence followed. "Well?" Shikamaru asked.

"I'm pregnant," she said.

"Woah," he said. "Oh shit."

"I was afraid you'd feel that way. I don't expect us to stay together, but I hope you'll be in the baby's life."

"I don't know," he said. "I'm so not ready for this. Look, I'm sorry but I have to go for a walk. Have you told anyone about this?"

"Just Naruto."

"Ok, let's keep this between us for now until I have time to think this over."

"Sure, and I hope we can still be friends, at least."

The look he gave her suggested otherwise.

Sakura was confused as well. Sure, they hadn't been much more than friends, but now that she was about to lose him she realized how much she'd miss him. When she got home Kai and Ibiki were there, talking on the couch and completely lost in each other's company.

"Hi Sakura," Kai said. She bounced over to Sakura and hugged her. "Look," she said, and held up her hand. Sakura saw a thin gold band with a small diamond on her finger. Kai was blushing furiously.

"Congratulations," Sakura said, and then she burst out crying and ran to her room. She fell on her bed and sobbed into the pillow, missing all the things she wouldn't know now. She heard Ibiki leave, and felt Kai sit on the bed. She rubbed Sakura's back.

"You want to talk about it?" she asked.

"I'll never have that," Sakura said. "I'll never get married now."

"Don't be silly. You're young. There are plenty of guys here that want you."

"I know. I've been asked out more times than I can count. It's too late now though."

"Why? What's suddenly made things so dramatic?"

"I can't say right now," Sakura said.

"Ok, when you want to talk more, I'll be here. I'm going to make dinner. It would be good if you ate some, ok?"

"Ok," Sakura said.

She lay in bed thinking. She heard a knock at the door and assumed Ibiki had come back, but she heard Sasuke's voice. "Is Sakura home?" he asked.

"She's here, Sasuke-sama. I'll get her."

She came into Sakura's room. "Get cleaned up. Sasuke-sama's asking for you. It's an honor for him to visit someone's house."

Sakura wiped away the tears, but she knew it was obvious she'd been crying. When she came in the living room Sasuke gave her a bouquet. "Congratulations!" he said. "The hospital always lets me know when someone's pregnant. Who's the lucky father?"

Kai's jaw dropped. "You're pregnant? Why didn't you tell me?"

"He's not sure how he feels about this. He asked me to keep it a secret for now."

Sasuke's face fell, and killing intent began to roll off him. "He what?" Sasuke asked. Kai quickly left the house. "That's a sorry thing to do."

"It's not that bad. We didn't have any kind of agreement. We were both lonely, and things sort of happened. I'm ok with being a single mother."

"It's a low man who doesn't want to be his own child's father," Sasuke said. "If he won't help you, you know my offer still stands. Several of my children are from previous relationships, and they have equal status with my natural born children."

"Thank you Sasuke. I'll consider that."

"If that baby ends up with spiky yellow or silver hair I'm going to beat someone."

"Sasuke! That's horrible," she said. "I made my choice and it's my business."

"Of course," he said. "Forget I said anything. If you need any help, let me know. I'm happy for you though. You'll make a great mother."

Kai came back in after Sasuke left. "Wow, he was really mad. What did he say?"

"He offered to marry me if the father doesn't want to come forward."

"That's awesome. His wives have so much power in the village. You'd have the best of everything."

"I'm going to consider it. If I can get a decent father for the baby I'll be happy."

"You don't want to marry him though, do you?" Kai asked.

"We have a history. I don't feel that way about him anymore."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Naruto came by later. "How'd Shikamaru take it?" he asked. "Neither of you came back, so I thought I'd find you."

"You're a good friend," she said. "He didn't take it well. He said he wasn't ready for this and left. He asked me not to tell anyone."

"I think I'm going home and beat some sense into that pineapple head of his. He's usually so smart, too."

"Let it be," she said. "We didn't really have a relationship. We just hooked up, you know? I don't want to be with him. I just want him to be part of the baby's life."

Naruto sat there quietly for a few minutes. Sakura noticed that the silence between them was comfortable. He got down on one knee. "Sakura, I don't have a ring yet, but will you marry me? I'll help you raise the baby."

Sakura was shocked. "Just when I think I have you figured out, you surprise me."

"Well?" he asked.

"I'll have to think about it. This is too sudden."

"Alright, but can I at least be the godfather?"

"Of course you can. You're the best friend I ever had."

Whenever she went to Shikamaru's house he was always about to leave. She understood he was avoiding her, and she quit coming by to see him. She still visited Naruto, but she and Shikamaru barely talked other than to exchange pleasantries. He had a panicked look when he saw her. She decided to let him go. They would work something out eventually, she was sure.

When she told Kakashi he immediately said, "it's Shikamaru's, isn't it?"

"How did you know?" she asked.

"Ibiki's with someone, Gai couldn't be your type, we haven't been together, and if it was Naruto he'd be shouting it from the rooftops."

"It could have been someone else," she said.

"It could, but that doesn't seem like your style. What are you going to do?"

"I'm still deciding. I've had two marriage offers, and I'm considering one of them."

"Really, who?"

"Sasuke and Naruto. They both offered as soon as they found out."

"So you're thinking about marrying Sasuke? I thought you were over him."

She took a deep breath. "Actually, I'm thinking about marrying Naruto."

A silver eyebrow lifted. "Noni?"

"He'd be a good father, and I want my baby to have a father if possible. Sasuke's only barely serious. I think he's more interested in future Uchias I could make than he is interested in me. Naruto's dead serious though. If I marry Sasuke I'll start a war between those two. Naruto's too protective of me. If I marry Naruto, Sasuke will probably be happy for us."

"I'd be honored to be the child's Sensei," Kakashi said.

"I'd like that," Sakura said. She was glad he hadn't offered to marry her.

The pregnancy progressed normally. At three months she was showing, and Sasuke's wives fussed over her like they'd never seen a pregnant woman, probably at least partly at Sasuke's direction. Shikamaru warmed up to her as he saw she wasn't going to tie him down, but she had no more interest in his body.

Naruto waited on her hand and foot. He talked to the baby, brought Sakura whatever she was craving, and traveled to other villages to find books on pregnancy.

"Is it his?" Kai asked her one day after Naruto brought Sakura a can of lychee fruit she'd been craving.

"No, but he wants it to be. He offered to marry me."

"He's pretty awesome. I'd take him up on that."

"I'm seriously thinking about it," she said.

Kakashi, Gai and Naruto were constants in her life, so when Kakashi brought Naruto back a week later seriously injured, she felt like the bottom was dropping out of her world.

"What happened?" she asked as he was prepped for surgery.

"ANBU found us. Apparently Tsunade has been looking for us after all. There were ten of them, and they were wearing us down. He pulled out seven tails. I don't know how he can recover from this one."

She worked on him frantically and managed to save his life. He had massive burns and chakra poisoning from the fox's demonic chakra.

When he woke up she was by his bed, waiting. She'd been sitting there off and on for a week.

"Sakura? What happened?"

"ANBU. You pulled out seven tails."

"I don't remember anything after Kakashi went down. Is he ok?"

"Minor injuries. He's fine. I wanted to be here when you woke up."

"I'm glad. How's little Sakura?"

"She's fine. I just wanted to tell you yes."

"Yes?"

"Yes, I'll marry you." She kissed him on the forehead, one of the few spots not covered in bandages.

He grinned. "This is the best day of my life. Believe it!"

She laughed. "Don't get too excited. You need rest."

She told Kakashi first. "Congratulations or condolences," he said.

"Very funny."

"Have you told Shikamaru yet?" he asked.

"I'm heading over there now. I think he'll be happy. He's off the hook now. We can probably be friends again."

Shikamaru was happy, and when she told Gai he cried and started talking about the power of youth to overcome obstacles. Ibiki hugged her and wished her well, and Kai prattled on about wedding arrangements. It was a good time for her, and when Naruto got out of the hospital he gave her a ring of white gold and a picture of a cherry tree with a fox sleeping under it.

Sasuke insisted on paying for the wedding. It was large for such a small village, and Sakura was thrilled. Kakashi gave her away, and Shikamaru attended. It was perfect.

When the baby was born, she was surprised to see Shikamaru there with a bouquet.

"So you're the one," Sasuke said to Shikamaru as they stood at the nursery window with Naruto.

"Hai. She's beautiful, isn't she?" Shikamaru said.

"She is. I see the future of the village when I look into this room. You sure took your time about claiming her as your own."

He looked at Naruto, who was too busy making silly faces at the baby to notice. "I'm just the donor. Naruto's going to be her real father. I'll be involved, but I'm just not the fatherly type, you know."

"I can accept that. You gave us one, so you've fulfilled your obligation. Next time use birth control if you're not willing to be the parent though, ok? I want as little drama as possible."

Shikamaru pulled out his wallet and flipped it open to show Sasuke a condom. "Way ahead of you," he said.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

They named the baby Uzumaki Jewel, and Naruto absolutely doted on her. Shikamaru was a part of the baby's life, but it was Naruto who saw her first steps, heard her first words, and bandaged her first scraped knee.

More ninjas and civilians began to arrive. Sasuke and Jiraiya brought them in, sometimes in whole families. Naruto's group of ninjas had assumed that Sasuke had simply found ninjas and invited them to stay in the Hidden Fan Viliage, named after the Uchia symbol. They were wrong. Each ninja or family was picked after careful deliberation among what came to be called "the council" – Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura, and Jiraiya. He had been searching for Sakura. They were just lucky add-ons.

Jiraiya asked Sasuke why Kakashi wasn't included in the council. Sasuke found it easier to be honest with the old Sanin than he did with most people, so he told him, "Kakashi is a failure. He's a very strong failure, but one I'd rather use for fighting than advice. Jounin is just the right level for him."

Their task of finding suitable missing nins to stock the village brought about Naruto and Sasuke's first major disagreement. Naruto had found a family living in squalor just outside the Fire Country's border. He automatically wanted to bring them to the village. Sasuke disagreed.

"I knew this man, Sasuke!" Naruto said. He was standing and his fists were clenched. "He's a good man."

"I read the report," Sasuke said. "Talos may be a good man, but he has no skills we need. I knew about him leaving the Leaf a month ago, so I had him investigated. He's had constant financial problems, and his children had low grades and behavioral issues. We need stable members of society here."

"It's not his fault," Naruto said. "You don't know what it's like to be poor. I bet you've never had to decide if you let the electric or water get cut off because you could only pay one. You were rich. You never wanted for anything material."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Naruto? After all those years when you talked about the powers of personal choice being more important than destiny you're going to tell me that he just can't help it?"

"I'm telling you he's a good man, and we need good men here."

"He was in minor scrapes with the law when he was younger, had fathered three children by the time he was 20, and hasn't held down any job for more than 6 months at a time. What about that suggests a stable villager to you?"

"He lived downstairs from me," Naruto said. "Does your report say that his wife died and he raised those three boys alone? Does it say that he couldn't keep a job but he always helped his neighbors even when he didn't have enough for himself?"

Sakura glanced uneasily between the two men. Jiraiya sat with folded arms, watching silently. Sasuke leaned back in his chair and waved toward a chair.

"Have a seat, Naruto. There's no reason to get so worked up about this."

"No reason? This is a man's life we're talking about!"

"No, this is the Hidden Fan's life we're talking about. We're still very young, and if Tsunade finds out about us, they'd destroy us. Let him live his life according to his own choices."

"Sakura? You agree with me right?" Naruto asked.

"I didn't know Talos personally, but I've read the reports. He wouldn't fit in here, and his children are just too wild. Don't take it so personally." Her voice was soft and pleading. "You can't get this upset every time we have to decide against someone."

Naruto looked toward Jiraiya, who shrugged. "Sasuke has a point. You're thinking like this is Konoha. You kids grew up in peacetime. I remember when things were different, when we couldn't make mistakes or the Leaf might not survive. We can't afford to be soft during wartime."

"But we're not at war," Naruto said.

"Not officially," Sasuke said. "It's only a matter of time before the Leaf finds us though. We killed all the ANBU last time, but Tsunade is probably still looking for us."

Naruto looked at the floor. "I can't argue with your logic. It just seems wrong. I've spent my whole life believing in treating people fairly and hoping that we can become more than we are and live together peacefully, and now you want me to throw all that away?"

"I know you're compassionate," Jiraiya said, "but it's too early for that kind of thinking. Our grandchildren might be able to know such mercy and kindness – if we're lucky – but we have to build the sort of viliage strong enough to support the consequences. Haven't you ever heard the saying, "No good deed goes unpunished."? We're not strong enough to weather failure."

Naruto nodded, but the rest of the meeting was spent with him in silence. He asked for a mission outside the villiage. As he was packing, Sakura watched him while she was feeding Jewel.

"Are you leaving because of Sasuke or me?" she asked.

"Sasuke," Naruto said. "The worst part is that I know he's right. He's still a bastard, but he's right." He ruffled Jewel's pink hair. "Someday, if we can build a strong enough village, our children can know peace and mercy. I'll work hard to do that, believe it!"

The last part of her question registered with him. "Wait. Why would you ask me if I'm leaving because of you?"

"Because I didn't back you in the meeting. Are you mad at me?" Her tone was pleading.

"Why would I be mad at you? I know you're not my wife in there. We discussed this. We're council members when we enter that room. I'm not stupid, Sakura."

"I know you're not. It's just… we're not a normal couple, and I worry."

"Why aren't we a normal couple?" Naruto asked. "Is this about the Kyuubi? Because I thought you didn't care about that." Naruto's voice had risen, and Jewel squirmed uneasily and cried a bit.

He smiled and took her from Sakura. "Sorry, kiddo," he said. "Didn't mean to upset you." He kissed her and put her to bed. Sakura waited until he closed the door.

"What's this about Kyuubi?," she asked. "I've never cared about that thing. It's you I care about."

"Then what do you mean we're not a normal couple?"

"Let me ask you this. If I hadn't gotten pregnant, would you have ever asked me to marry you?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head, trying to think of a way out of this awkward conversation she was forcing on him. "No, probably not. Does it matter? It was my duty. I knew you needed me, and I care for you, so I did what I needed to do. We're a family now. I love you and Jewel. We've been together almost 2 years. Why are you just now asking me about this?"

"I've been thinking. I just didn't know how to talk to you about it."

"Aren't you happy?" he asked.

"I am," she said. "I've wanted to ask you something for a long time though. Did you want me, or did you just want a family?"

Naruto's mind blanked. _Danger, get out now!_ Was his main thought. "I don't know right now. I'm happy with what we have though."

He hugged her. At first she resisted, but then she returned his embrace. "You and Jewel mean so much to me," he said. "Does it really matter why we're together? We're together, and that's all that matters to me."

"I guess not," she said. Sakura watched as he packed. "You're putting together a big kit this time. Are you going to be gone for awhile?"

"Possibly. I'm supposed to find Hinata in some backwoods village. She doesn't know I'm coming. Sasuke located her, but he thought I'd be the best one to bring her in. I could be out there for awhile, or just a few days. We don't know her condition, or even her exact location."

"Hinata?" Sakura asked. "I've always liked Hinata. I'm glad she got out."

"Yeah, Sasuke got information that she fled the village after Neji "disappeared". I'm supposed to make her the same offer we got. Sasuke had her checked out, and he thinks she'd fit in great here."

Naruto went back to packing, and Sakura watched him. He'd grown taller over the years, and tai-jutsu practice had built his muscles into a nice 6 pack. He'd dropped the orange for the normal Jounin uniform. He was a gorgeous man now. Her fears melted away as lust took over. One thing was sure, she needed him. She only hoped he needed her as well.

She took the flak jacket he was packing out of his hands and dropped it on the floor. "Why don't you pack later?" she asked.

He grinned. "I like how you're thinking."

No matter how many insecurities Sakura had, she always gave herself to him fully. It was the one part of their relationship she was confident in. When they were finished they lay together quietly. He played with her hair in one hand.

"Sakura-chan, I don't care how it happened. I love you."

"I love you too, baka," she said. She did love him. Sometimes she worried because their relationship had started with duty instead of passion, but she did love him. There was enough passion now, anyway.

She slept until he kissed her goodbye in the morning. When he left the house felt empty, until Jewel began to cry for breakfast. She spent the day fussing around the house and cleaning the mess Naruto made when he packed. For some reason he went through the house like a storm when he packed for a mission.

The next day she decided she'd better get out of her funk. There were new rules to adjust to here, and one was except in an emergency only one parent was sent on a mission at a time until the child was five years old, so she might be stuck in the village for a while. She called Kai's house, but got no answer. Sakura had never made friends easily, and Kai was the only female friend she had now. She missed Ino.

Sakura loaded Jewel in the stroller and wandered around the village. She didn't consciously make her way to Gai and Kakashi's bachelor pad, but she ended up there anyway. Gai answered the door, and he grinned widely when he saw Jewel. He picked her up and spun her in circles.

"Who's my special girl?" he asked in baby talk, and Jewel laughed loudly.

They went into the messy den, covered with stray books and bits of clothing. Gai did a quick baby-proofing of the room and set up the baby gate he kept for their visits. Kakashi liked Jewel, but Gai absolutely adored her. Naruto and Sakura had made him her godfather, and Gai took the position seriously. He brought her gifts and worried over every baby cold or scraped knee.

Kakashi sat in the kitchen nook, unaware of their presence. As observant as he was normally, he was oblivious in the safety of his home, especially when Gai was there. He bent over some papers, scribbling furiously.

"Hi Kakashi!" Sakura said, surprised by the happiness in her own voice. Her dark mood had slipped away. These two men were a special reminder of her past. They were what Konoha had been to her.

Kakashi's head jerked up, and he quickly put the papers away in a satchel. He pulled glasses off and set them to the side. _Wow,_ Sakura thought. _Has he really gotten old enough to need glasses?_ She felt her own youth slipping away.

"What are you working on so hard there?" she asked.

"Sorry, S-class secret," Kakashi said.

"I have S-class clearance," she said. "You know that."

He smirked. "It's double S-class."

"There's no such thing as double S-class. Now you've got me curious."

The smile left his face. "It's something I'm working on for Sasuke. I could tell you, but you really don't want to know. It would just bother you."

She could tell he felt awkward. "That's ok; I don't want to talk business anyway. Naruto just left for a long mission, so I thought I'd come by and hang out."

"Do you miss him already? I'd be glad for some quiet."

"The house is just so empty right now. I'm sure I'll get used to it. It's only a few weeks."

"Well, it's not all bad. Returning home sex is the best sex, right after make up sex. You'll see." Kakashi said.

Sakura blushed. "Dirty old man."

He grinned. "Always."

"Don't talk like that around the baby," Gai said. "It's not youthful."

Jewel wandered over to Kakashi and stared at him seriously. She always did that. Sakura thought it must be the mask. Jewel bent over and kissed his knee. "Fix boo-boo," she said.

"Er, thanks?" Kakashi looked at Sakura, lost as usual in anything relating to toddlers.

"She fell earlier," Sakura said. "I did that, so I guess she's copying me."

"Does she imitate you a lot?" he asked.

"More than most children," she said. "They all do that, though."

He sat on the floor next to Jewel. He spread his fingers, and making use of his affinity with lightning, he made a small amount of chakra dance back and forth between his fingers.

Jewel's eyes went wide and she reached toward Kakashi's electrified fingers. He jerked his hand back, allowing the chakra to dissipate. "No touching," he said.

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi just nodded toward Jewel. She had spread her fingers and was staring at them intently.

Kakashi let chakra dance between his hands, stopping the flow when she reached for him. He watched her hold her hands apart like he had, waiting for the same thing to happen. When a small spark appeared, she clapped her hands. "Me too!" she said.

"What was all that about?" Sakura asked.

"It just occurred to me that if she got your chakra control and Shikamaru's intelligence, she might be able to use chakra about now."

"Kakashi! She's two!"

"I was walking up trees right after I could walk on the ground. With some kids it's intuitive. I could try teaching her if you want. Could be interesting."

"Well, you did want to be her sensei, but she's so young."

"It can't hurt her. Can I borrow her sometime?"

"Aren't you afraid the women will get some ideas, seeing you being all domestic?"

"Don't remind me," he said. "Sasuke's been pushing me to pick one lately. We all fall into the trap eventually, I guess."

"It's not so bad," Sakura said. "Naruto and I are usually happy."

He waved his hand dismissively. "It's not important right now. I'll pick one out eventually. Enough of them want me."

"Vain old man," Sakura said.

He just shrugged. After she left he pulled the papers out and started working again. As he scratched out a diagram of the inner working of the Hokage tower he wished Sasuke hadn't asked him to do this. He knew it would be helpful if they had to invade Konoha someday, and that Sasuke had asked him to do this because he'd had the most contact with Tsunade except for Sakura. He could also be the least emotional about it. Still, working against Konoha filled him with a sense of loss.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Naruto had trouble finding the village he'd been sent to. It was so small it didn't even have a name. It was just a few huts with a couple goats and chickens. He entered the "village" and spoke to the first person he found there, an old woman who looked at him with suspicion.

"I'm traveling through," he said. "You need anything fixed? I'm good at fixing things." He smiled broadly, hoping to gain some trust. Useful people who could fix things were almost always welcome wherever they went, especially in the country.

"I do have a broken wagon wheel," she said. "But I don't have any money."

"Trade will do," he said. "I'm on my way to Konoha. I could use a good dinner and a place to stay."

The woman spit on the ground. "Konoha. They tax our lands now. We barely have enough for ourselves."

Naruto frowned. "I've heard about that."

He was glad his years of poverty had taught him to be resourceful. He fixed the wheel and had a bowl of cabbage soup with the old woman and her husband. After dinner he excused himself with the excuse that he always liked a good walk after eating. "Good for the digestion," he said.

He wandered the "village", looking for any signs of a stranger. He couldn't find any. He used his connection with the Sage mode to check for signs of chakra from Konoha ninjas. He felt a faint signal, to the west. He left without saying goodbye, moving through the trees and avoiding roads and paths.

He sent out another questioning wave of chakra, and he felt Hinata's chakra signature nearby. He didn't sense anyone else, but he approached carefully anyway. There were many ninjas who could block his technique if they recognized it.

He pushed through some bushes and saw Hinata bathing in the pool of a waterfall. He turned quickly, but it was too late. He'd seen everything, and what he'd seen was spectacular.

Naruto ducked into the bushes and waited until he didn't hear water splashing. He gave a few more minutes and turned around. Hinata was dressed and squeezing the water out of her hair. "Hinata-chan, I've been looking for you."

"Naruto?" she asked. "I can't believe you're here."

To his surprise she kissed him. He hadn't seen her for years, and as she pressed against him he realized she'd filled out in exactly the right places. It was a good kiss, and his devotion to Sakura and Jewel slipped briefly as he enjoyed it. Finally, he remembered his wife, and he pulled himself together and disentangled from Hinata. "Wow, you've changed," he said.

"I should have done that years ago," she said. "I regretted not telling you I care for you. I thought I'd lost you forever."

_Awkward,_ he thought. "It's good to see you, Hinata-chan. I'm with someone now, though." He didn't want to give details about his family until she was in the village.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said. She turned away, embarrassed.

"It's ok. I'm glad you got out of the village. What happened?"

She started to cry. "It was so awful. Neji stood up to Tsunade about a mission. She wanted him to execute a family for treason. There were young children in that family! He said no, and he and the family disappeared. We used our family resources to try to find out what happened to him, and all we could discover was that he was dead. The rest of the family said I should go, because I'd made the mistake of backing Neji in public. They were afraid I'd get killed too."

Naruto's fists clenched. "He was a good man. He didn't deserve that."

She wiped away her tears. "No, he didn't."

"What are you going to do now?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know. I've been trying to decide which village to go to. I've got to find some place to live, but I can't really pick. I was considering the Sand Village, but Gaara doesn't like taking in missing nins. He has his own problems there."

"Would you like to come with me?" Naruto asked.

"I thought you were with someone," Hinata said.

Naruto stammered. "Sorry! Not like that. I meant, I've found a place where missing nins can go. You could live with us. They try not to make us act against our villages unless necessary. I can't tell you more right now."

"I trust you," she said. "Let's get some rest tonight and head there tomorrow."

As they camped together he could smell her freshly bathed scent. He lay near her, and as he listened to her soft snoring he thought about the kiss they had shared earlier. He was so close to her. It would be so easy to roll over and be on top of her. He could picture her eyes opening, and a smile forming as she opened her mouth to kiss him again.

He rolled onto his side, away from her. _You have a wife and a daughter,_ he thought._ You made a choice._ He forced himself to picture Sakura and Jewel, but he still had to go into the bushes to deal with a troublesome erection. He decided to spend the night on watch instead of sleeping.

The rest of the time they were traveling together he tried to keep distance between them. His feelings for her disturbed and frightened him. Once, when they were building a fire their hands brushed each other, and he had to fight the urge to grab her hand and hold it. They both glanced at each other in surprise.

"Sorry!" He said, even though he hadn't done anything.

"It's nothing," she said, and brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

Naruto had no idea where this chemistry between them came from. He'd never felt it before, but then she'd never kissed him before either. He'd also never seen her bathing before. That was a sight that would stay with him.

He'd never been so relieved to be home. He found Magne, checked in from his mission, and went straight home. Sakura was working on a report. He kissed her, releasing all his pent up frustration in the most passionate kiss they'd shared yet.

"Well if this is what you come home like, I hope you get more long missions," Sakura said.

"I missed you," he said. He pulled her onto the carpet and made love to her. Sakura decided rug burns were worth the experience.

Hinata fit into the Hidden Fan almost immediately. She moved into the house Sakura and Kai had vacated. Kai had married Ibiki, and they were expecting their first child.

The Hidden Fan had a few traditions already. One was that in nice weather families often picnicked on their lawns. The Uzamakis were eating sandwiches on their front lawn one day when Hinata visited.

It was a nice visit, full of small talk and updates on Jewel. Naruto and Hinata hadn't spoken much since he brought her back, and it was always shallow chatter. Hinata had a way of making everyone feel comfortable though, and by the time she left Naruto was relaxed in her presence. He was sure they could be friends again.

Sakura caught him watching her as she walked away, but she didn't say anything.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kakashi didn't like the mischievous look on Sasuke's face when he came to visit. Sasuke looked around the messy house and kicked a pair of pants out of his way. "This place really needs a woman's touch, Kakashi."

Kakashi shrugged. "Gai and I are comfortable. I was hoping this was a social visit."

"I'm afraid not. I have something I wanted to discuss in private. Is Gai home?"

"No, he's on a mission," Kakashi said. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Tea would be fine," Sasuke said. He sat at the dinner table that had been usurped for Kakashi's work space. Kakashi cleared some books and papers to make a spot for a cup for Sasuke.

"Did you know about Hinata coming here?" Sasuke asked.

"I heard about it. I'm glad she got out, but it's a shame about Neji."

"She's fitting in well, but she's too shy with the local men. I've introduced her to a few of them, but she just stammers and leaves as soon as she can politely excuse herself."

"You could just let her alone, Sasuke."

"No, I really can't. We're running a race here. Any time any one of us could die in a mission, and Hinata's not the strongest fighter. I want that Byakugan. For that matter, I want the White Chakra too."

"That again? I'm not that old, Sasuke. Give me time."

"I don't ask much of the people who live here, but it's imperative that we bring new bloodlines to the Hidden Fan. So far the only special bloodline here is the Sharingan."

"I don't like being pushed into this," Kakashi said.

"Then choose someone," Sasuke said. "Consider it a mission if you need to. This isn't negotiable."

They locked eyes for a minute, but Kakashi knew who was in charge. "I'll start looking," he said. "I don't like it, but I'll do what I have to."

"That brings me to the second reason I came here. Hinata is too shy. I don't like pushing the women into marriage, and Hinata's special. Her bloodline has to be added to the village."

"What does that have to do with me?" Kakashi asked. "Do you want me to help her find someone?"

"I was thinking that she might do better with someone from Konoha, someone she's comfortable with in these unfamiliar surroundings. I was also thinking the White Chakra and the Byakugan might be a powerful combination."

"Sasuke! She's a kid!"

"Have you looked at her lately? She's not a kid anymore."

Kakashi gulped. "She's a child to me, ok? I couldn't be comfortable with that."

Sasuke stood and smiled. _If a snake could smile, that's what it would look like,_ Kakashi thought.

"I won't push the issue," Sasuke said, "as long as you start looking."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Uchia Kumo was a shrewd woman. Whenever Sasuke had a problem with the social life of the village, he sought her help. She was his eyes and ears. Kumo listened to him explain the latest chapter of the villages' complicated life.

"Give Kakashi time," she said. "You don't want to push him too hard. From what you tell me, he won't take a wife until he's ready."

"I only pushed him a little," Sasuke said. "He's a professional. He'll do what's asked of him. I just need to keep an eye on him."

"What about the other ninjas?" she asked. She stroked his hair, and Sasuke sighed and laid his head in her lap. He looked up at her crafty but beautiful face.

"Hinata always struck me as fragile emotionally. I really wish Neji had made it here instead, but we can make do with her. I won't suggest Shikamaru for her after what happened between him and Sakura, and Jiraiya would just break her. It wouldn't be intentional. I just can't see him being faithful. I want the children to grow up in stable homes, if possible." He moved about a bit to find a more comfortable spot. Kumo had bony legs.

"And Gai?" she asked.

"I'll ask, but somehow I just don't think they'd fit together very well. It's a pity about Kakashi. I think they would have made a good couple."

"And you could have had both blood lines," she said.

Sasuke sat up. "I didn't tell you about that," he said.

"You didn't have to. I watch everything. I listen to everyone."

"There's a reason you were named Kumo," Sasuke said.

She laughed. "I spin my social webs. It's my specialty." She patted her lap. "Lay down Sasuke. You look tired. You work too hard for the village."

He laid his head on her lap again. He had been momentarily suspicious, but that was passing. He'd put Kumo through various tests before he asked her to marry him. She was a loyal woman, just a sneaky one.

"What about Naruto?" she asked.

"He's already married."

"And? He wouldn't be the first here to have two wives. It might calm him down some."

"It's not a bad idea. I'd have to approach it carefully. Naruto and Sakura are the sensitive type. It's a weakness I hope they don't pass on to their children. I'll think it over."

She played with a long strand of his hair. Sasuke pulled her finger into her mouth and bit it playfully.

"Curse you for being so distracting, woman."

"Then curse you for being distracted, Sasuke."

He forgot about his problems and gave himself to his spider of a wife. They'd been caught in each other's webs, and neither of them minded.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kakashi talked Sakura into leaving Jewel with him, but it wasn't easy. She worried and fussed over every detail of Jewel's clothes. Finally Kakashi said, "enough already. I know she's your daughter, but I won't let her die today, I promise."

She reluctantly handed Jewel to Kakashi. Jewel immediately reached for the mask, and Kakashi pushed her hand away. "No touching," he said.

Jewel pouted briefly, and then forgot about the mask as she discovered the silver hair. She tugged at it until Gai came over and took her from Kakashi. She promptly behaved.

"You have a real way with children, Gai," Sakura said.

"I hope to have a few of my own someday."

"You'd be a good father," she said.

"I might find out in a few years. I met someone," Gai said, "one of Sasuke's step-daughters."

"Step-daughter? What is she, 10 years old?" Kakashi asked.

"She's 20, thank you very much. Her mother was much older than Sasuke. She died a few months ago on a mission. The girl's name is Uchia Moon, and she shares my passion for teaching youth."

"She should. She is a youth," Kakashi said.

"We both agree that age doesn't matter. Our youthful spirits will conquer all obstacles set before us!"

"I'm just glad to see you happy again," Sakura said. "I hope it works out for you."

After she left Kakashi said, "please tell me you're not on the marriage train too. Pretty soon I'm going to be the only single ninja here."

"Sasuke pulled me aside for a talk a few days ago," Gai said. He bounced Jewel on his knee. She laughed loudly. "He wanted to know if I'd be interested in Hinata. I told him she was too much of a child to me."

"I said the same thing. You know she's the same age as Moon, right?"

"I didn't know Moon when she was a child. It's different. And Moon is so mature for her age. She's not like most 20 year olds."

"I suppose you'll tell me next that she's an amazing beauty."

"She's incomparable, a perfect picture of youth in bloom."

Kakashi smiled. "This I have to see some time."

"Very well, just so long as you know she's off limits. I've seen you with beautiful women. I don't want to lose this one."

"Gai, I'd never cock-block you," Kakashi said.

"Mmmm…" Gai mumbled. He remembered a few parties where Kakashi had taken home a woman Gai had been chatting up. It was taking the rivalry a bit too far in his opinion. It wasn't his fault he wasn't as cool as Kakashi.

"I could use your help training Jewel," Kakashi said.

"Sure, I have my papers graded. Someone needs to make sure Jewel doesn't end up missing lunch because she can't find bells."

"Hey, it worked. Don't knock it. I'm going to teach her the same way my father taught me."

"And just how is that?" Gai asked.

"You'll see." Kakashi was afraid Gai wouldn't allow him to use his father's teaching method, but it was the best way to find out if she was an early chakra user.

They left the village, and he picked an oak tree with low, easily accessible limbs. He climbed to the lowest branch, a good 6 feet off the ground.

"What are you doing?" Gai asked. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"She's perfectly safe," Kakashi said. "Your job is to catch her if she falls."

"If she falls? This is NOT youthful."

Kakashi ignored Gai and pulled Jewel's shoes off. He dropped them to the ground, and she giggled and wiggled her toes. "Hi Oji-Gai!" she yelled, waving at him.

"Look at that. She's not afraid of anything. She already picked that up from Naruto, I guess," Kakashi said.

He put her on the branch to let her get used to the tree. She touched the bark, pulled a bit off, and tried to put it in her mouth. Before Kakashi could get the bark away from her, she spit it out. "Blech," she said. "Not good."

"Can you do something for me?" He asked. She nodded.

"Let's play a game. I want you to be stiff like a board, ok?" She nodded. Jewel loved new games.

He turned her on her side and reached as far from himself as possible, placing her feet against the tree. She held her body straight, like he'd asked her to. Gai danced around with his arms outstretched, ready to catch her.

"Now hold onto the tree with your feet. Oji-Gai will catch you if you fall."

Kakashi felt a moment of fear, and wondered if this was how his father felt when he'd taught him. He let go, and a soft glow of chakra immediately formed around her tiny feet. It ebbed and flowed, but it was enough to hold her small frame aloft.

She clapped and laughed. "Now walk to Oji-Gai," Kakashi said.

She took a few tentative steps. Shikamaru stepped into view. "Sakura said you were training Jewel, so I thought I'd see what you were doing. What the hell are you doing with my daughter?"

Kakashi dropped to the ground and retrieved Jewel's shoes. "Oh, so now she's your daughter?" He'd never entirely forgiven Shikamaru for making Sakura cry. He felt more protective of her than his other students.

"Not now," Shikamaru said. His eyes were glued to Jewel, who had stopped walking down the tree. "How is she doing that?"

"She has a ton of chakra control already. Probably takes after Sakura there. She might make a great medic nin someday," Kakashi said.

"It's ok, sweetie," Gai said. "Come on down."

She walked slowly down the tree, and straight to Gai. All three adults fussed over her. She yawned and reached for Shikamaru. "Sleepy," she said. She had used up her small amount of chakra and needed to recharge.

Shikamaru hefted her so that she could lie against his shoulder and sleep. She closed her eyes almost immediately.

"You have something to say to me, Kakashi?" Shikamaru asked, being careful to keep his voice down so he didn't wake Jewel.

"Nothing I haven't already said."

"Look, I was afraid, ok? I wish I'd done better, but it's too late now. I'm doing the best I can for Jewel. I made up with Sakura and I babysit whenever I can. What, like you've never failed?"

That part hit Kakashi hard. He'd felt for a long time that his life was nothing but failure. He looked at Shikamaru, holding Jewel and trying to deal with the consequences of a bad decision, and he realized it was sheer chance that had kept him from the same situation when he was younger. He had chewed Shikamaru out when he realized how badly he'd treated Sakura, but they hadn't really spoken since then.

"I know kid. We all make mistakes. Just don't hurt that family. They've had enough troubles as it is."

"I'm part of _that family_," Shikamaru said. "You're a part of it too. We need to put this behind us, for Jewel if nothing else."

Kakashi looked at Jewel, sleeping peacefully on Shikamaru's shoulder. He wiped a bit of drool from her face. "Yeah, I guess it's about time, huh?"

Gai suddenly grabbed both men in a bear hug. "Forgiveness is indeed Youthful!" he yelled. "It's good to see you two friends again." Jewel woke and began to cry at the loud voice so near her ear.

Kakashi wasn't sure "friends" was the right word, but he decided it was probably time to let the past go. Letting the past go wasn't something he was good at, but he decided to make an effort.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

During the next council meeting, Sasuke brought Hinata up in conversation. "We need her bloodline," he said. She's so shy though. I was hoping she could find a match with one of the Konoha nins, but they're all taken except for Kakashi, and he can't see her as anything more than a child."

They discussed options for a few moments, but no one knew a suitable match for her. Sasuke smiled. This was going according to plan.

"I'm going to let you two handle this," he said, nodding at Naruto and Sakura. "She never was very comfortable with me, and she's probably closer to you two than anyone else in the village. She fits in here, but I don't think she's made any close friends."

"What do you want us to do?" Sakura asked.

"Find her some good prospects for a husband. You know her well enough to know who she'd fit with, and you know how we do things around here. Keep in mind if you find someone married that might not be an obstacle. Many of the women here wouldn't mind having someone else around the house. It helps to have the extra help, and larger families mean stronger families."

"We'll do what we can for her," Sakura said.

Sasuke felt like he'd accomplished his goal. Either the Uzumakis would find her a husband or they would accept her into their family. Either way, he would have the Byakugan in future generations. He knew Naruto and Sakura would treat her well, too. He wasn't entirely Machiavellian. He did want to see his villagers happy.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: This one's a short chapter, but I've been sick and not writing as much.

Chapter 4

Sasuke studied Kakashi's map of the Hokage tower. He sat in a tree outside of Konoha's gate, waiting for the ANBU unit patrolling the area to move along. With his own chakra masked he knew they wouldn't find him unless he made a mistake, and Sasuke rarely made mistakes on missions. He had a full seven hours until dawn, enough time to extract his spy and be well on his way.

When he'd asked Jiraiya to take over for him and run the village while he was gone, the old man had asked why he didn't send someone else. "It's too sensitive," Sasuke said. "I can't risk failure."

Sasuke hadn't told anyone what he was planning, not even Jiraiya. He moved into Konoha, easily avoiding sentries. _Hand-fed babies,_ he thought. They were soft. Most of these ninjas wouldn't have lasted a day with Orochimaru. He'd have to do something to make sure his people didn't grow soft like that.

Sasuke had memorized the maps Kakashi had made for him. He made his way through the Tower, using the back ways and secret passages known to few. There were some even Tsunade hadn't known about, or at least that's what Kakashi had told him. She'd never been that interested in the inner working of the Tower, a fact that Sasuke intended to use to his advantage.

He activated his Sharingan before he entered Tsunade's office. His informant had said to meet him here. She'd always had good information. He could only hope she'd carried out her mission. Either she'd succeeded and he'd have a valuable new villager, or she'd failed and he'd have to kill Tsunade himself.

His Sharingan revealed only one person standing in the room, and one person on the floor whose chakra was dissipating as he watched. He stepped into the room.

Shizune's kunai dripped blood onto the floor next to Tsunade. The Hokage had lost her youth jutsu in death, and Sasuke looked at an old woman he barely recognized. She was surrounded by Sake bottles, and the room reeked of spilled alcohol.

Shizune hadn't acknowledged his presence. She raised her face from studying the body in front of her, and for the briefest of time Sasuke saw the loss and pain she was feeling. A look of defiance erased any softer emotions. "I didn't do it for you," she said. "I did it for Konoha. She was killing Konoha."

_"I'd better handle this one carefully"_, he thought. He knelt and closed Tsunade's eyes gently, even though he had no emotional connection to her. Sasuke had learned long ago that half of leadership was misdirection. Do a few simple things that people can read as their own prejudices and wishes demand. He knew Shizune would read his action as kindness. He hoped it would give her a false impression of him.

"You asked for an extraction," Sasuke said. "This was your idea." The extraction had been her idea; killing Tsunade had been his idea, but he hoped she didn't notice the slight discrepancy right now. He didn't want to have to kill Shizune if she went rogue on him.

She nodded. "I couldn't stand it anymore. I was the only person she trusted, and I was the one giving out all the information about her. She wanted to kill everyone who wasn't from Konoha. She wasn't the person I knew. I didn't want to kill her, but if I hadn't she was going after your village with more forces. She didn't know exactly where it is, but she knew enough to find you soon. She was going to wipe your village off the map and then take out the smaller villages around you just in case they helped you. She was about to start a "cleansing program." I just couldn't let her continue to kill innocent people."

"You did what you had to do," Sasuke said. "If it makes you feel any better you saved hundreds of lives, possibly thousands if she'd started a full war."

"It was so easy to get her drunk, joke with her, stab her. Her trust in me killed her."

Sasuke had problems dealing with emotional people. Weakness made him uncomfortable. He knew Naruto or Sakura would hug Shizune, maybe cry with her. It just wasn't something he could do.

"Konoha will be better for this," he said, making his voice as soft as possible. He hoped he sounded genuine.

"Hai," she said. "It's still a betrayal though." She knelt by Tsunade and caressed her cheek. "She loved me too much to ever suspect me."

"I didn't know you two were that close," Sasuke said.

"She was like a mother to me. I don't know what I'll do without her."

"Survive," Sasuke said. He waited in silence for as long as he dared, forcing himself to be patient. "We have to leave," he said. "We need to get as far away from here as possible."

Shizune pulled a blanket from Tsunade's desk. She kissed the older woman's cooling forehead and pulled the blanket over her. "I'm so sorry. It wasn't supposed to end like this."

She stood and took a deep breath. "Let's go," she said.

Sasuke noticed that she never looked back.

It took them three weeks to return to the Hidden Fan. They were afraid there well followed. Sasuke led Shizune on a tour of the Fire Nation, occasionally crossing over into Sand territory. He had them switch disguises occasionally, and he used all of his prowess and skill to keep them undetected.

She didn't speak much during the trip, just enough to be polite. Although that suited Sasuke, he wondered if she was always this sullen, or if Tsunade's death had hit her so hard she was severely depressed. Probably the latter.

He stopped outside the Hidden Fan. "I'll tell them I killed her if you want."

She shook her head. "No. I owe her at least that much. It's my burden; I'll carry it."

_Just like Kakashi,_ he thought. He preferred being an avenger. At least avengers did something with the burdens they carried. People like Kakashi and Shizune seemed born to wallow in their own misery. _Well, as long as she's a good ninja she can wallow all she wants._

The village welcomed another outcast. When she told Sakura how Tsunade died Sakura punched her, and then the two women sat together and cried for their lost friend. Naruto backed out of the house, unsure where his wife's violent temper might lead.

He went to Kakashi and Gai's place. He enjoyed married life, but sometimes it was nice to escape to a more masculine place.

Naruto grabbed a beer and sat by Kakashi. "Women are so weird," he said.

"You're just now figuring that out?" Kakashi asked.

Naruto repeated what he'd heard Shizune tell Sakura.

"Tsunade's dead, huh?" Kakashi said. He drank a couple more beers quickly.

"It's weird, but I miss her," Naruto said. "I guess I shouldn't, but I do."

"We all cared about her. Sometimes people just change. I'm going to miss the old bat too."

Naruto drank a couple more beers as well. Just when he was beginning to feel a buzz he felt himself becoming clear headed again. _Damn you Kyuubi,_ he thought, _I need this. Let me get drunk._

He heard a growl, but the fox didn't try to clear the toxins out of his body anymore.

When Gai got home he was surprised to find Kakashi and Naruto passed out, Kakashi on the couch and Naruto under the dining table.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sakura and Naruto searched for a husband for Hinata, but they couldn't find anyone they would trust their friend with. She was too special to them to throw away on just any ninja. They set up two double dates, but both ended in disaster. The first date was with a man named Hoji. They chose him because he had a reputation as a fair man and a strong ninja, but all he could talk about was his "Great Ninja Adventures" as he called them. The second date was with a nerdish young man named Sanji, who was almost as quiet as Hinata. The two of them blushed and fidgeted through the whole evening, and everyone was relieved when it was over.

Sakura asked Hinata to come over for lunch. She remembered Hinata had dainty tastes and prepared cucumber sandwiches and tea. As Hinata nibbled on her sandwich, Sakura thought about how she was going to broach the subject.

"I hope this isn't about another blind date," Hinata said. "I don't think I like them. I appreciate the effort you and Naruto put into setting the dates up, but I'm sure I'll find someone eventually."

"The other two dates didn't work out so well, did they? Sorry about that."

"It wasn't all bad. At least I got to hear the stories of the Great Ninja Adventurer," Hinata said.

Both women laughed. Sakura poured more tea for Hinata. She was glad Ino had talked her into paying attention during etiquette lessons.

"I didn't tell you that Sasuke asked us to find you a husband. That's why we've been trying to set you up on dates."

"Why does Sasuke care if I have a husband or not?" Hinata asked. "It's not really his business."

"In a way it is his business. He's trying to make the Hidden Fan stronger, and that means he needs strong bloodlines. We're not likely to get any more of your family. He wants your bloodline in the village, and he strongly hinted that unless we find you someone he will."

"He said that?" Hinata asked. "He'd make me marry someone I don't want to marry?"

"I don't think it would go that way. He doesn't usually directly order people to do things. It's more like a game of Shoji and we're the pieces. I think he'd manipulate you into something before he'd order you."

"I don't like this. This isn't why I came here."

"Why did you come here?" Sakura asked. She knew; she just wanted to hear Hinata say it out loud.

"Naruto asked me to," Hinata said. "He didn't tell me much about it, but I trusted him. I guess marrying someone I don't know well isn't as bad as staying in Konoha or wandering around the elemental countries as a rogue ninja, but it's not what I wanted to do with my life."

"I'm going to get right to the point," Sakura said. "How do you feel about my husband?"

Hinata sat her cup on the saucer, and Sakura noticed her hand shook a bit. "If you need to ask then you must already know," Hinata said. "I wouldn't do anything with a married man, though. Besides, he loves you and Jewel. He's just a friend to me."

Sakura nodded. "I'm glad you were honest with me. It helps make this easier."

Sakura reached across the table and took Hinata's hands in her own. "How would you like to join our family?" Sakura asked. She was surprised to find that she was frightened. She wasn't just asking Hinata to marry Naruto, she was asking her to be a sister wife. It gave the Uzumakis safety in numbers in the growing village. There was already a tension between families as they jockeyed for position in the village, and the larger families had the advantage. It might give Jewel brothers and sisters to protect her in life. It also meant the difference between seeing Hinata as a friend or as a potential rival.

"I'll think about it," Hinata said. "It's not something I would have considered before, but this is a different life, isn't it?"

Naruto came in the house swearing at Shikamaru who was close behind him. "That wasn't fair," Naruto said. "You cheated."

"I didn't cheat. I'm just better at strategy than you are. You need to think more and act less."

Naruto stopped as he saw the women staring at him. He felt trapped. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing dear," Sakura said. "We're just having a little girl time."

There was something in her look that rang warning bells. Hinata was blushing, and they were both looking at him far too intently.

"Okay," he said. "I'm gonna go hang out with Kakashi for awhile. You have fun doing…whatever it is you're doing."

He made his escape as quickly as he could, stopping to kiss Jewel on his way out.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

That night Naruto bounced Jewel on his knee and she giggled happily. Shikamaru was visiting, and Sakura waited impatiently for him to leave. They had settled into a nice platonic relationship. She usually enjoyed his visits, but she wanted to talk to Naruto about Hinata.

When he finally left she put Jewel to bed. "We need to talk," she said.

"Am I in trouble?" Naruto asked.

"Not today," she said, laughing. "How do you feel about Hinata?"

He turned bright red. "I'd never cheat on you. You know that!"

"That's not what I meant. How would you feel about marrying her?"

"Noni?" he asked. His face registered his shock.

"Large families mean strong families here, and I think we'd be happy with Hinata."

They discussed the idea, and Naruto decided he liked it. "I'll talk to her tomorrow," he said.

"I talked with her earlier. She didn't seem to mind the idea," Sakura said.

He grinned. "You are the best wife ever. Believe it!"

"Just you remember that," she said.

He scratched the back of his head. "I have one question."

"Only one?" she asked.

"Well, only one for now. Do you think the three of us could, you know, together?"

She rolled her eyes. "No threesomes, baka."

"You can't blame a guy for trying," he said.

Naruto bought beer and headed to Jiraiya's house. He needed a guy's perspective on this.

"Hell yeah," Jiraiya said after Naruto explained the situation. "You're building your own harem, huh?"

"It was Sakura's idea. She's really into this."

Jiraiya leered. "That's so hot. Pink and purple hair swirling together as they both work on you. This would make a great book. You could have one go down on you while the other…"

"Pervy old fart!" Naruto interrupted. "That's my wife and fiancée you're talking about."

"Fiancée? Are you sure she'll accept?"

"Sakura said she already talked to her."

"Damn, boy. You picked a good woman. I wish I could find a wife that wanted me to have other women."

"I'm really nervous about this. What if they gang up on me?"

"They probably will sometimes. But hey, threesomes are worth it, right?"

"Sakura already said no threesomes."

"Ah well, twice as much sex anyway, right?"

Naruto grinned. "Let's hope so."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXx

Sakura was at Hinata's house, and both women were discussing the wedding. "We could do purple and yellow for the colors," Hinata said. "I think lavender and lemon yellow would be pretty."

"He tried to talk me into orange," Sakura said.

Hinata wrinkled her nose. "Ewww."

"Yeah. I think he'd go for yellow though," Sakura said.

"We're getting ahead of ourselves," Hinata said. "He hasn't even asked me yet. Did he say he wants to be with me?"

"Trust me. He wants to be with you. If you weren't going to be a sister wife I'd be jealous."

"I'd never hurt you like that," Hinata said.

"I know," Sakura said. "That's why I suggested this."

"Sakura, I've never been with anyone. I'm nervous about that."

"Never? With anyone?"

"I was always too shy. Kiba kissed me once, but I didn't like it. He smells like dogs and burritos."

"It will come to you," Sakura said. "Didn't your mom talk to you about sex?"

"It was considered impolite to talk about sex," Hinata said. "We probably would have had that talk before I got married." Hinata wiped tears away from her eyes. "I miss mom. She won't even know I'm getting married."

"I know," Sakura said. "I left family in Konoha too, but there wasn't any choice."

Sakura decided to stay at Hinata's. She enjoyed the new friendship between the two of them. She'd always liked Hinata, but now she'd have family here – female family. Her world had too much testosterone.

"What about Jewel?" Hinata asked.

"Shikamaru's watching her," Sakura said. "I made arrangements in case I wanted to stay over. He didn't mind. He doesn't think of himself as fatherly, but he's really good with her. I think he's just afraid of commitment."

They lay in bed and talked about weddings, love, and sex. Sakura drifted off to sleep and dreamt about her future family.

Naruto woke up with a hangover on Jiraiya's roof, wearing his underwear on his head and a strategically placed jounin vest tied around his waist, and nothing else. He climbed down, carefully hiding his privates from the prying eyes of Jiraiya's nosy neighbor, an old woman who leered and catcalled at him.

"Nice ass!" she yelled as he scurried for the safety of Jiraiya's house. He found the Sanin snoring and half-buried by beer and sake bottles on the floor of the living room.

Naruto saw his clothes on the other side of the room. They had been placed on a broom in the rough approximation of a person. _What happened last night? _He wondered.

He had to step over Jiraiya to get to his clothes, and the old man chose that moment to wake, getting a full view of Naruto as he crossed over him. Jiraiya closed his eyes. "I could have gone a lifetime without that sight," he said.

"Sorry, sorry," Naruto said. "How did I end up naked on your roof?"

"Hell if I know," Jiraiya said. "I remember something about a dare." He belched and smacked loudly. "Sake and beer do not mix." He looked at the decorated broom. "I think that was an effigy of Kakashi for some reason - something about a scarecrow of the Scarecrow. It's all fuzzy."

Naruto gave himself time to deal with the hangover as much as possible and went to Hinata's house. He barely managed to ask her to marry him before she squealed and hugged him. They kissed, and he allowed himself to enjoy it fully this time.

"Did you ask her?" Sakura asked when he got home.

"I did. She said yes," he said, omitting the kiss. He didn't feel guilty about it. It was just an awkward situation. Sakura made things easier with her enthusiasm. She was acting as if she really had a sister getting married, and Naruto left her to the alien world of fabrics and wedding arrangements. He still had the remnants of a hangover to nurse, and a mission to prepare for.

They had the wedding in less than a month, at Sasuke's insistence. He said it was because weddings in winter were unlucky, so they needed to hurry before the weather turned cold. Sakura, Naruto, and Hinata supposed he just wanted babies quickly. Naruto was only too happy to oblige. Once he'd gotten over being freaked out by the idea of two wives, he found it an exciting prospect.

The Hidden Fan already had its own wedding traditions. Sakura took her place as First Wife and handed Hinata the bouquet, a symbol of the trust Sakura was placing with her. Hinata glowed in lavender, and when the ceremony was finished she whispered, "Uzumaki Hinata," and giggled.

They honeymooned outside the village, which was also a tradition. It gave the First Wife time to prepare for the new wife, and allowed the new couple to get to know each other in privacy.

Hinata was the complete opposite of Sakura. Naruto had been a virgin when they'd married, and Sakura had taught him sex. Now it was his turn to gently show Hinata the joys they could have together. He did hope she got over her shyness though. She'd been quick enough to kiss him, but it took her a frustratingly long time to be comfortable enough to take off her clothes.

Sakura had more passion and enthusiasm, but Hinata had a spectacular body. Naruto felt like the luckiest man in the world.

When they returned, Sakura had baked Hinata a cake with the word, "Welcome," painted sloppily on it.

Naruto knew happiness like this couldn't last forever, but as he watched Sakura trying to keep Jewel's hands out of the icing and Hinata slipping him shy looks, he thought that if he could just keep this one moment forever he would be happy for life.

Such happiness never lasts. While Naruto's home life was more than he'd ever dreamed, the next council meeting brought him roughly back to reality.

Sasuke announced that he had bad news. "Danzo is the new Hokage. We'll see more of what Tsunade started in the Leaf with him in charge."

"Danzo? The Root leader?" Naruto asked.

Sakura pulled at her hair in frustration. "I was hoping they'd learned. He'll be worse than Tsunade."

"Even though we lost Shizune as a spy I have a few more contacts in Konoha. Anko supports the new regime. We'll probably have to deal with her eventually. The Aburame clan is behind Danzo, and the younger ninjas don't know any better."

"What now?" Sakura asked. "They'll come after us, and we're not strong enough to fight the Leaf yet."

"Not alone," Jiraiya said. "We happen to have an ace up our sleeve though. We've got Naruto, and his habit of making friends out of strangers could come in handy here."

"You're thinking of Gaara," Sasuke said.

"I am. The Leaf and the Sand have had rough relations the last few years, with Tsunade aggressively patrolling the borders. There were actually a few "incidents" between Leaf and Sand patrols. Gaara views Naruto as a brother. I don't think it would take much to make an alliance. I see a war between Leaf and Sand in the future anyway."

"That's horrible," Sakura said. "Tsunade weakened us too much to win."

"Us?" Sasuke asked, "or them? Remember where your loyalties lie."

Her eyes flashed. "I don't need to be reminded of that. The Leaf rejected me, and Jewel's home is here. I just hate the idea of people I care for dying in a senseless war."

"All war is senseless," Jiraiya said. "But it happens. We have to protect our own."

She nodded. "I understand. I was thinking of Ino, and my family."

Jiraiya said, "your family are civilians, and medical staff as well. They'll probably be spared. You have to let Ino make her own choices. We can only hope she leaves before the shit hits the fan."

"She wasn't happy about what was happening with the Leaf," Sakura said. "Choji lost his Jounin status because he didn't show enough support for Tsunade. He started drinking and they broke up. She thinks it's Tsunade's fault she lost Choji."

"We can hope she'll leave," Naruto said. "Hope doesn't cost anything."

Naruto was focused on Sakura, and Sakura was too absorbed in her own thoughts to notice Sasuke roll his eyes. Jiraiya noticed though. Sasuke had no patience with emotional people, something he'd have to deal with to be an effective leader.

"On to other business," Sasuke said. "The Hyuga clan has effectively shut themselves off from the rest of the village. They still fight for the Leaf, but they've made it known they don't support Danzo. I'm afraid the clan might be wiped out."

"Do you really think that could happen?" Naruto asked.

"It's happened before," Sasuke said. He briefly told them about Itachi's mission. When he was finished Naruto and Sakura were crying. Jiraiya leaned back in his chair and glared.

"Why didn't you tell us about this before?" Naruto asked.

"It wasn't your business. Do you think I like to be reminded of my family's massacre? I've had my revenge on Itachi, even if it turned out to be useless. I don't want to wallow in that mistake the rest of my life. The only reason I haven't destroyed Konoha is because I don't want my brother's sacrifice to be in vain. He was a true ninja, a tool for his village. He should have remained an Uchia though. We would have run the village much better."

"What can we do about this?" Sakura asked. "We can't sit by and watch the whole Hyuga clan get wiped out."

"We aren't in a position to change their fate yet," Sasuke said. "We should wait and watch. If the clan follows the Uchias and attempts a coup, we could help them. For now we should focus on the Sand."

"I'll do it," Naruto said. "Gaara won't let me down."

"I knew you would," Sasuke said. "One last thing. I know Hinata is family, but this has to stay between us. I can't run the risk of her running back to Konoha to be captured and tortured."

Sakura sniffled, but she nodded. "I understand."

Naruto stood and glared at Sasuke, fists clenched. "You're telling me I can't tell my wife her whole family might die?"

"I don't give orders lightly, Naruto. I give you a lot of leeway around here, but this is a direct order from your Hokage. You knew I was in charge when you chose to live here. Do your duty."

That brought Naruto around. "I've always done my duty to the Leaf and the Fan. I won't fail now. I'll get the Sand, and help the Hyuga's. I won't lose Hinata's family. Believe it."

"This is for your good as well. Hinata's a missing nin, and one with a bloodline. If she goes back to Konoha she'll be tortured until she reveals our existence, and knowing Danzo she'd probably have medical experiments performed on her so he could get her clan's secrets. Do you want that?"

"No," Naruto said. "You're right again. It's just hard to accept."

When they got home, Hinata was playing with Jewel. Naruto hugged her and smelled the fresh mint scent of her hair.

"You two have been crying," Hinata said. "What's wrong?"

"Something bad might happen," Naruto said. "We're under orders not to talk about it."

Hinata cooked dinner for them. Naruto ate mechanically, but Sakura just toyed with her food. She looked up to see Hinata's innocent face with a worried look. Sakura burst into tears and ran to her room.

Hinata rose to go after her. "Don't," Naruto said. "Sometimes she needs to be alone. She'll come out when she's ready."

He patted the table. "Sit with me for a while?"

She sat and took his hand in hers, running her finger across the scar where he'd stabbed himself on his first mission to release the toxins of a tainted blade. "Is there anything I can do to help? Do you…do you want to make love?" she asked, and blushed.

"Not tonight," he said. "I think I just want sleep. Things usually seem better in the morning."

Sakura came out of her room rubbing her eyes. She kissed Hinata on the cheek. "I'm going to hang out with Kakashi and Gai for awhile, if Gai's not off with Moon. I'll be back later; I just need to get out for awhile."

Naruto and Hinata went to bed, and he watched her sleep while he worried about what he could do to protect his fragile treasure.


End file.
